On the Radar

Census Citizenship Executive Order?

It's being reported that Trump is considering an executive order to try to move forward with a citizenship question on the 2020 census.

"We didn’t come this far just to throw in the towel," a senior administration official with direct knowledge of the conversations told Axios.

"The administration is considering the appropriateness of an executive order that would address the constitutional need for the citizenship question to be included in the 2020 census," a senior legal source added.

The Supreme Court had ruled against the question appearing on the 2020 headcount, unless the administration could provide a more persuasive argument for its inclusion.

Do you support a citizenship question on the census?

Under the Radar

Banning Fireworks

Illinois is one of four states that bans residents from buying or using fireworks. Those violating the 1942 Illinois Pyrotechnic Use Act could face fines of up to $2,500 and up to a year of jail time. Sparklers, small noisemakers, and smoke bombs are acceptable.

Opponents of fireworks legalization bills cite safety concerns and the dangers around commercial-grade fireworks. A 2017 report from U.S. Consumer Safety Commission, however, found there were less injuries from fireworks (over 12,000 injuries in 2017) than from tipped furniture and children’s toys.

Others reasons people favor a ban relate to veterans suffering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and animals and children who may be disturbed by the noise.

The fireworks ban in the Land of Lincoln has not stopped residents from traveling to border states to purchase their Roman Candles.

“Illinois, it’s time to face the truth,” Dahleen Glanton wrote in a recent op-ed in the Chicago Tribune. “That 77-year-old law banning fireworks isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. Clearly, the ban isn’t working, and nobody wants to see our overwrought police officers taking time away from fighting real crimes to enforce such a ridiculous law.”

Should more states place limitations on purchasing and using fireworks?

Nonfireworks

On July 5, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Flag Protection Act into law which established criminal penalties for burning, defacing, or trampling the U.S. flag. The law was eventually struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court as a violation of an individual’s First Amendment rights.

In response, Congress passed the Flag Protection Act of 1989 which tried to rework the federal flag desecration law so that it’d withstand another challenge before the nation’s highest court. On the day the revised law took effect flag burning protests were held at the U.S. Capitol, which led to arrests and a subsequent legal challenge. Again, the Supreme Court issued a 5-4 ruling in U.S. v. Eichman, which struck down the federal law banning flag desecration.

How do you feel about the Flag Protection Act on its anniversary?

What You're Saying

Here's how you're answering Should the Constitution Be Amended to Include the Right to Housing, Healthcare, Education & Nutrition?