Congress has often used the Commerce Clause of the Constitution to justify regulating the activities of states and their citizens.

If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you. Paramount to that case was Gideon v. Wainwright, establishing the right to counsel.

Distortion refers to powerful voices having more sway in public discourse than average citizens. However, one man’s “distortion” is another man's reality.

In this landmark decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the 14th Amendment implicitly grants a right to an abortion.

In one of the most significant Second Amendment cases in decades, the Supreme Court took up McDonald v. Chicago to determine if the Amendment applied to states.

In its landmark 1993 decision in Shaw v. Reno, the Supreme Court ruled on the constitutionality of racial gerrymandering.

In December 2018, amid a stalemate about border wall funding, Congress failed to enact a new budget, leading to the longest government shutdown in history.

Between 2009 and 2011, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) ran a series of controversial sting operations over the southern border.

In 2002, President Bush signed the Enhanced Border Entry and Visa Entry Reform Act, increasing the United States’ ability to enforce immigration laws.

President Clinton signed the Flores Settlement Agreement in 1997 to reform legal procedures surrounding immigrant minors.

Concerns around immigration and a lack of job opportunities prompted Operation Wetback, which saw up to one million Mexican immigrants deported.

The Bracero Program matched seasonal agricultural workers from Mexico with approved American employers to fill labor shortages.

The polls’ relative inaccuracy in predicting the winner of the 2016 presidential election has fueled significant skepticism regarding political polling.

The 1936 election between Franklin D. Roosevelt and Alf Landon presented the first instance of polling used to predict the election outcome.

Statistical Random Sampling is a method pollsters often use to evaluate the public’s perception of an issue or candidate.

In recent years, beginning with Vieth v. Jubelirer, the Supreme Court has ruled that it cannot address partisan gerrymandering.

The term “gerrymandering” emerged in 1812 after Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry approved a redistricting plan heavily favoring his party.

The Founding Fathers ratified the Second Amendment in 1791, ensuring citizens could protect themselves against a potentially tyrannical government.

Following the 2020 elections, Dominion Voting, a company helping run elections in 28 states, was the target of some fraud allegations, prompting legal actions.

The 2020 presidential election saw one of the highest voter turnouts in modern American history, with roughly 2/3 of eligible voters casting a ballot.

In 1993, President Clinton signed the National Voter Registration Act, making voter registration more accessible and widespread.

Since the presidential election of 1960, numerous allegations of widespread voter fraud in Illinois and Texas have emerged about the contest.

In 2017, a gunman killed 26 people near a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, sparking a debate around guns and the efficacy of existing gun laws.

In 2012, a gunman killed 26 people, including 20 children, at Sandy Hook Elementary School, further fueling the national debate around gun control.

In 1999, two students killed 13 people and injured 20 others at Columbine High School. At that time, it was the deadliest school shooting in history.

In 1994, President Clinton signed the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act, also known as the Assault Weapons Ban.

In 2008, the Supreme Court significantly expanded its understanding of the Second Amendment in District of Columbia v. Heller.

The National Rifle Association (NRA) is one of the most well-known lobbying groups in politics, contributing millions each year to influence gun policy.

Following the shooting of Jacob Blake, Kenosha erupted into unrest, with daylight peaceful protests turning violent at night.

In August 2020, a police officer shot Jacob Blake while responding to a reported domestic abuse incident, sparking unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

In 1993, President Clinton singed the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, the most significant federal gun law reform in decades.

Following several high-profile assassinations, Congress enacted the Gun Control Act of 1968. However, it later rolled back some of these restrictions in 1986.

The Federal Firearms Act (FFA) created a federal licensing system for the manufacture, import, and sale of firearms.

In response to rampant gun violence throughout the Prohibition era, Congress passed the National Firearms Act, imposing stricter gun regulations.

In 2003, the Department of Homeland Security expanded to include Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a powerful federal agency.

Following the 9/11 attacks, with a heightened focus on protecting Americans from terrorism, President Bush signed the Homeland Security Act in 2002.

In June 2017, the Republican-controlled House passed two immigration laws with President Trump’s support: Kate’s Law and the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act.

As one of his first acts in office, President Trump signed Executive Order 13769, barring entry and visas from seven predominantly Muslim countries.

In 1965, President Johnson signed the Immigration and Nationality Act, overhauling decades of restrictive immigration laws.

The Immigration Act of 1924 imposed a strict cap on immigration and completely barred Asian immigrants.

In 1921, Congress enacted the first numerical cap on how many immigrants could enter the United States.

In 1917, Congress passed a restrictive Act limiting immigration from the Middle East and Southeast Asia and imposing literacy tests for migrants.

Congress formed the Dillingham Commission in 1907, leading to a series of restrictive immigration laws over the next few decades.

Over the past several decades, the New Urbanism movement — dedicated to reducing urban sprawl — has grown in popularity.

Village of Euclid v. Ambler Realty Company (1926) was a landmark Supreme Court case that greatly expanded localities’ powers regarding zoning.

After WWII, the United States entered a “Golden Age,” as the economy grew substantially and Americans experienced unprecedented prosperity.

Throughout the second half of 2020, wildfires ripped across the American West, specifically California, Oregon, and Colorado.

Sixteen years after Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc in the state, Hurricane Ida landed in Louisiana, killing dozens and costing billions in damages.

Fall 2017 saw a series of four destructive hurricanes, bringing catastrophic winds and record flooding.

Hurricane Katrina was one of the most destructive hurricanes in American history, especially in New Orleans and the surrounding areas.

In 1900, the Great Galveston Hurricane made landfall in Texas. To date, it remains the deadliest natural disaster in American history.

Many lawmakers and climate activists have urged governments to enact cap-and-trade policies, limiting industries’ greenhouse gas emissions.

In 2009, the House passed an ambitious Obama-backed bill to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but the bill ultimately failed to gain traction in the Senate.

In a 2007 opinion piece calling on the United States to enact sweeping climate legislation, Thomas Friedman was the first to call for a “Green New Deal.”

In 2012, President Obama enacted DACA to prevent law enforcement from deporting undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as minors.

In 1986, President Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act, a bipartisan agreement to address illegal immigration.

As one of its earliest acts, Congress enacted the Naturalization Act of 1790, determining who could receive U.S. citizenship.

In 2014, President Obama enacted the Priority Enforcement Program to focus ICE’s efforts on undocumented immigrants that posed a threat to public safety.

The Secure Communities Program expanded Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s ability to detain suspected undocumented immigrants.

In 1986, President Reagan signed the Firearm Owners Protection Act, loosening federal gun regulations.

Patreon, founded in 2013, allows content creators to establish and manage paid subscriptions. The platform has become controversial among some on the Right.

In 2019, YouTube further updated its Terms of Service to prohibit “content that makes hurtful and negative personal comments/videos about another person.”

In 2017, YouTube amended its Terms of Service to prevent the monetization of extremist content and remove it.

After a controversy surrounding YouTube creator PewDiePie, the platform changed its Terms of Service to prevent monetization of non-child-friendly content.

YouTube, launched in 2005, has grown to become one of the largest social media platforms in the world.

In 2014, Facebook further solidified its position as the leader in the social media market by acquiring WhatsApp for $19 billion.

In 2012, Facebook bought Instagram for $1 billion in one of the most significant social media deals in history.

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act is the key provision governing the liability of online service providers in the United States.

In 2021, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a comprehensive report on climate change, calling it a “code red for humanity.”

The Paris Accords, sometimes called the Paris Agreement, is an international treaty on climate change.

This 2007 case laid the groundwork for future lawsuits forcing the EPA to enact stronger regulations.

In 1970, President Nixon signed the Clean Air Act, significantly expanding the federal government’s role in combating air pollution.

Amtrak is a government subsidized passenger railroad service and one of the largest public transportation systems in the United States.

In 2016, President Obama signed a bipartisan law further expanding federal regulations of pipelines.

In 2004, Congress established the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to regulate pipelines and protect people and the environment.

In 1979, Congress expanded federal regulation of pipelines, particularly regarding the transportation of hazardous materials.

The Natural Gas Policy Act broadened federal oversight of natural gas production, attempting to ensure a stable market.

The Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act marks the beginning of federal regulations of the pipelines and has generated some controversy.

In 2018, President Trump signed the bipartisan Agriculture Improvement Act, generating praise and backlash from both sides of the aisle.

Farm subsidies are payments and other forms of support extended by the U.S. federal government to certain farmers and agribusinesses.

In the modern political debate, perhaps no tax provision has generated as much controversy as the estate tax.

In recent years, the Senate has carved out exceptions to its filibuster rule, including for presidential appointments requiring Senate confirmation.

Brnovich v. DNC is one of the Supreme Court’s most significant — and divisive — voting rights cases in recent years.

In the 2013 case Shelby County v. Holder, the Supreme Court issued a landmark decision drastically changing the way states changed their election laws.

In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act. This legislation sought to protect millions of minority Americans from discrimination.

In the modern political debate, the Senate filibuster rule has come under intense national scrutiny. But how did it gain so much prominence?

Baker v. Carr is one of the most significant Supreme Court cases on redistricting, leading to a new era of legal challenges to legislative maps.

Students wore black armbands to demonstrate their support for the peaceful resolution in Vietnam. Can speech be curbed for the health of a school community?

It wasn’t until the landmark case, Marbury v. Madison, that the Supreme Court gained the authority to judge the constitutionality of laws.