Earlier today I was reading the First Amendment to the US Constitution, so that I could quote it exactly:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
What jumped out at me is that there is to be no law “abridging the freedom of speech” or the “right of the people to peaceably assemble.” That sounds a lot like what ICE and other federal agents have been doing in Minneapolis — abridging the rights of the residents to free speech and peaceful assembly.
And then just a paragraph or two below the First Amendment, the Fourth Amendment suddenly seemed very specific and very relevant:
“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”
I’m not a lawyer but it seems to me this directly, specifically prohibits exactly what ICE and other federal agencies have been doing in Minneapolis and elsewhere.
And, notably, they are acting on orders coming directly from Trump, Miller, Noem, and others at the highest levels in Washington.
If nothing is done in the meantime, everyone in America and especially in Washington should remember there is an election this year on November 3.
Repeating what I wrote in a comment yesterday:
We’re past party politics. This is morality politics.
This is Constitution 101.
It’s obvious they don’t care about the Constitution, only about vanquishing what they see as their enemies. But thanks for printing this. I guess I was never clear what those amendments exactly entailed.
I hadn’t read them in years. Maybe not since my last history class a few eons ago. But reading them today … they seem pretty straightforward. I’m wondering when those involved last read them.
Gee and I thought the law was anything the orange one said in public … 😉
He’d like everyone to think that. Nevermind those dusty scraps of paper in the National Archives.
Roll on November …
I’m counting the days …
right
I don’t think it takes a Supreme Court Justice to interpret these Amendments. And I imagine they were written that way intentionally.
yes, I so agree
The Constitution is plain language but it takes actual experience to fully understand words describing the unimaginable right here in modern America. It’s a good history lesson refresh for us all, I submit.
When I actually looked it up and read it, I was stunned at how spot on it is. It reads like a judge handed down a ruling just this week, forbidding everything ICE is doing in Minneapolis and elsewhere.