Ian M. MacIsaac:The Supreme Court rules on health care, with logic (evidently) too complicated for television

  The sprawling crowd mulled nervously in the square, most of them facing the great columned facade of the Supreme Court building. Clusters of protesters with colorful hats and signs representing all conceivable sides of the issue at hand were flanked by numerous visiting public figures and celebrities, all surrounded by the press, cameras and recorders in hand.

  It was 10 am Thursday, June 28, across 1st Street Northeast from Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Briefs containing the Supreme Court's ruling on the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act--the president's health care bill centered around an individual mandate--were being brought down from within the depths of the huge building in stapled sheafs to be handed out to the members of the press waiting eagerly outside.

  At the White House, in the area immediately outside the Oval Office traditionally termed the 'Outer Oval,' President Obama stood amid a mini-control room of televisions that White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew had tuned to show four separate news channels.

Giselle Childs: The Affordable Care Act is clearly constitutional

  The Supreme Court’s ruling today confirmed what the Constitution and 200 years of precedent have already made clear: The Affordable Care Act is undoubtedly constitutional.

  With this ruling comes a victory for the millions of Americans who are already benefiting from the health reform law, whether it’s the sick child who can no longer be denied insurance or the senior who can finally afford her prescription drugs. And very soon, the Affordable Care Act will go even further to protect tens of millions more from ever being denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition.

Ken Paulson: New Arizona law filters out First Amendment freedoms

  A new state law in Arizona threatens to withhold 10% of funding from public schools and libraries if they don’t block “harmful” content on the Internet. The law, which goes into effect Aug. 1, requires that minors be blocked from accessing “visual depictions that are child pornography, harmful to minors or obscene.”

  According to The Arizona Republic, Rep. Steve Court, who sponsored the bill, says it’s intended to refine existing law.

  “It just makes it a little more clear and a little more stringent,” Court told the newspaper.

  Not exactly more clear. Like other efforts at legislating Internet access, this statute is muddled and shows no understanding of the difference between obscenity, which is not protected by the First Amendment, and adult-oriented material, which is.

Steve Flowers: Inside The Statehouse: Come hell or high water

  As promised, the Alabama Legislature revisited their much publicized immigration law during the just completed regular session. They said they were going to revise the original 2011 act and that is precisely what they did.

  This Republican dominated legislature does what they say they are going to do. They may not be deliberative but they are truly disciplined, organized, productive and conservative.

  Their original act was much maligned by liberal groups throughout the state and nation. It brought a great deal of negative media attention from every corner of the country and the globe. This adverse publicity did not deter the legislative leadership or the governor. They are determined to rid Alabama of illegal immigrants regardless of the cost in dollars to defend the law or adverse publicity affecting our national image. Their efforts have already proved costly in both venues. The law is being and will continue to be challenged in court by the ACLU and Southern Poverty Law Center.

Elizabeth Robinson: Government-subsidized education inflation

  Only a few weeks ago, college graduations took place all over the country. Families traveled to see their loved ones receive diplomas and move on to another chapter in their lives. And after four or more years of college, those graduates are hoping for a bright future.

  While some of them may have jobs lined up, many recent graduates are encountering a sobering reality: Around half of all college graduates under 25 are either unemployed or underemployed. To make matters worse, they are suffocating under a huge mountain of accrued debt, averaging nearly $25,000 per graduate, according to a recent Associated Press study.

Ian M. MacIsaac: Romney fumbles the ball at gathering of Latino public servants; tortured, contradictory Obama-lite proposals inspire more contempt than confidence

  Mitt Romney received a chilly reception Thursday at the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), coming there in a defensive posture over the issue of immigration in the wake of the executive order issued by President Obama.

  It was just over a week ago, on June 15, that the president announced in the Rose Garden that "eligible individuals who do not present a risk to national security or public safety will be able to request temporary relief from deportation proceedings and apply for work authorization."

  The order could allow close to one million immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally as minors to remain in the United States for the foreseeable future.

Sheldon Richman: How to get money out of politics

  Watching the television pundits fret over campaign finance is amusing, because the solution to their problem is right under their noses. They just don’t want to see it.

  The pundits’ favorite phrase that stands for everything evil in the political system is Citizens United. That’s the nonprofit corporation that sued the government in 2008 when it was told that commercials for its anti–Hillary Clinton documentary couldn’t be shown close to a Democrat primary election without violating McCain–Feingold, the latest campaign-finance law. The case went to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that section of the law unconstitutional.

Ken Paulson: Painter’s court win affirms visual free expression

  College football means big money. Amid talk of a possible national playoffs system, we’re reminded of the extraordinary revenue potential of an “amateur” sport.

  Understandably, universities want to maximize their income and protect their broadcast and intellectual-property rights, particularly in a digital age. And yet it was refreshing last week to see a clear First Amendment victory for someone who works in one of the oldest media: paint on paper.

Steve Flowers: Inside The Statehouse: The Moore things change...

  Ever since Roy Moore’s surprising victory in the March Republican primary a hue and cry has arisen from some mostly upscale GOP and Independent Alabamians to derail his return to his old position as Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. The rumors and plans abound from all areas of the state. They are more prominent in coffee club conversations, country club cocktail parties and suburban watering holes. The people are frustrated and convinced that Moore’s resurrection is an embarrassment to the state.

  The bottom line is that Moore will be elected to his prior post as Chief Justice in November. Winning the GOP primary nomination is tantamount to election in Alabama, especially in a year when Barack Obama is heading the Democratic ticket and the contest is for a judicial job. Alabamians decided about two decades ago that they want only Republicans on their state courts. The current count is 19 Republicans and zero Democrats on the state appellate courts of Alabama. The numbers will remain the same when the dust settles on the night of November 6th.

6 Things you need to know about Deferred Action and DREAM Act students

  Last week President Barack Obama announced that his administration will suspend deportation (“deferred action”) and grant work authorization to DREAM Act-eligible youth, effective immediately. These youth, who were brought to the United States at a young age, have been living in limbo as Congress plays political football with their lives by failing to pass the DREAM Act and give them a pathway to legal status. Though the president’s action cannot grant permanent legal status, it is a significant step forward that will give piece of mind and the ability to work to a significant group of people.