Current News - The U.S. Constitution Online

This page will attempt to distill all current news and issues about the Constitution into a quick, easy-to-read format. Note that because the Court and the Congress meet in cycles, there will be periods of activity and inactivity on this page. If you are aware of any important news missing from this page, please send it to the Webmaster.

05/03/08 Obama wins Guam by seven votes
Guam, a tiny, South Pacific island territory of the United States, normally holds its presidential caucuses in relative seclusion, but this year's contest is different. Though neither Barack Obama nor Hillary Clinton campaigned on the island, they both had active campaigns. In the end, Obama got 2264 votes, and Clinton got 2257 votes. Guam sends eight delegates to the national convention, though each only has a half vote. The election, then, did not change the delegate count for either candidate, each getting two more delegates.

04/28/08 Supreme Court upholds voter ID requirements
The Supreme Court today upheld an Indiana law that requires all voters to provide photo ID in order to vote. The provision, opposed by Democrats because of fears that it would disenfranchise poor voters who cannot afford an ID, has exceptions for those religiously opposed to being photographed or who cannot afford an ID, but the law requires such persons to file an affidavit with a circuit court after an election; their provisional ballots would not be counted unless the affidavit was filed within 10 days. The affidavit would have to be filed prior to each election, a particular sticking point. The Court, however, recognized the need of the state to prevent election fraud and found the provisions to not be too onerous. The Court acknowledged that some voters might be turned away or fail to cast a ballot, but that the number would be small considering the law's purpose to maintain the integrity and reliability of elections. In the dissent, it was noted that the amount required to procure an ID exceeds the inflation-adjusted amount of a poll tax that a previous court had found to be unconstitutional prior to the passage of the 24th Amendment. The judgement of the court was joined by three justices with three more joining a concurring opinion, and three joining the dissent.

04/22/08 Clinton wins in Pennsylvania
Pundits were saying that unless Hillary Clinton won Pennsylvania by double digits, it could not be counted as a win. With nearly the entire state counted, though, Clinton beat Barack Obama 55-45, pulling off the double-digit win. Clinton beat Obama by just over 200,000 votes. The victory is expected to breathe new life into Clinton's financial campaign. In the Republican primary, McCain grabbed 73% of the vote, but Ron Paul was able to pull in 16%, his best tally yet. Mike Huckabee, despite pulling out of the race in March, got 11% of the Pennsylvania vote.

04/16/08 Keyes announces break from GOP
Republican candidate for President Alan Keyes today announced a break from the Republican Party. Saying that the party has become "dark and confused," he indicated he might seek the endorsement of the Constitution Party.

04/05/08 McCain wins Guam
Though McCain is the only remaining Republican candidate, Guam did not vote overwhelmingly for him. McCain garnered only 31% of the vote, Romney got 19%, and Ron Paul got 3%. Uncommitted got the plurality of the vote with 47%.

03/31/08 Jackson announces resignation
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson announced his resignation from his post today, effective April 18. While no reason for the early departure was given, Jackson is the target of several probes by a grand jury, the FBI, the Justice Department, and the HUD inspector general.

03/26/08 Gravel to run as a Libertarian
Oft-overlooked Democratic candidate for President Mike Gravel announced today that he will leave the Democratic Party to join the Libertarian Party. Wrote Gravel on his website: "The fact is, the Democratic Party today is no longer the party of FDR. It is a party that continues to sustain war, the military-industrial complex and imperialism - all of which I find anathema to my views.... I look forward to advancing my presidential candidacy within the Libertarian Party, which is considerably closer to my values, my foreign policy views and my domestic views."

03/25/08 Supreme Court sides with states in treaty case
Texas does not have to give a convicted rapist and murderer a new trial, despite a treaty that the Bush Administration argued required that it do so. That according to the Supreme Court that ruled today that a treaty that required foreign nationals be allowed the counsel of their embassies when brought up for trial. The Court ruled that without legislation or specific wording requiring that states comply with the treaty, the states are free from the dictates of the treaty.

03/24/08 Keyes hinting he's leaving Republican Party
Republican presidential candidate Alan Keyes is hinting that he is ready to sever ties with the Republican Party. On his website, Keyes has several links to the Constitution Party, which will hold its national convention at the end of April. Several independent blog postings have put Keyes's name out as a potential candidate for the Party.

03/18/08 Supreme Court hears DC guns case
In the first major 2nd Amendment case it has heard since the 1930's, the Supreme Court today heard arguments for and against a Washington D.C. law that essentially bans all private handgun possession. The case attracted strange bedfellows, with the Bush Administration siding with the District and Vice President Dick Cheney signing on with the other side. The District argues that the 2nd Amendment does not protect individual ownership of guns, and that handguns have no legitimate use in an urban environment like the District. The petitioners argue that they have a right to own the banned weapons for the purpose of self-defense.

03/11/08 Obama wins in Mississippi; Obama took Texas caucus
A week later, the results from the Texas caucus are in - Barack Obama beat Hillary Clinton. Clinton, who won the state's primary, ended up with fewer delegates out of the state than Obama. In Texas, both a primary and a caucus are held, and the votes of some highly-Democratic regions count for more than others. In the end, Obama took about 103 delegates to Clinton's 90. In Mississippi, Obama won with 60%, while Clinton took 38%. McCain won in Mississippi with 79%. Ron Paul only got 4% of the vote.

03/08/08 Obama wins in Wyoming
Barack Obama won the Wyoming caucuses handily, taking 61% of the vote to Hillary Clinton's 38%.

03/07/08 Paul hints he might quit Republican race
In a statement issued to supporters on his web site, Republican candidate for President Ron Paul today indicated that he may withdraw from the race. Paul noted that victory, in the conventional sense, was out of his grasp, but that his campaign and supporters had succeeded in bringing new issues into the political debate. Paul did not specifically say that he was quitting nor give any timetable for the future.

03/05/08 President Bush endorses McCain
Saying he will do whatever it takes to see John McCain win the presidency in November, President George Bush endorsed McCain in a gathering at the White House's North Portico.

03/04/08 Primary results; Huckabee drops out
Republican Senator John McCain, after winning Vermont, Rhode Island, Texas, and Ohio by wide margins today, has taken a commanding lead in the Republican race, his only close competitor, Governor Mike Huckabee, announced he was withdrawing from the race. In the Democratic races, Senator Hillary Clinton's campaign got a breath of new life as she won Rhode Island, Ohio, and Texas, Obama taking only Vermont. The state results: Vermont: McCain 72%, Huckabee 14%, Paul 7%; Clinton 39%, Obama 59%. Rhode Island: McCain 65%, Huckabee 22%, Paul 7%; Clinton 58%, Obama 40%. Ohio: McCain 60%, Huckabee 31%, Paul 5%; Clinton 54%, Obama 44%. Texas: McCain 51%, Huckabee 38%, Paul 5%; Clinton 51%, Obama 48%. Preliminary results in the Democratic Texas Primary give Obama 56% to Clinton's 44%.

02/23/08 McCain wins in Pacific territories
In caucuses held in American Samoa and the Northern Marianas, John McCain won 100% of the delegates to be sent to the Republican convention.

02/19/08 Primary results in Wisconsin, other states
Barack Obama and John McCain continued their winning streaks today. Obama beat Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin, 58% to 41%. In the Republican race, McCain beat Mike Huckabee 55% to 37%. In Washington, the Republicans held a primary to supplement their caucus held on February 9; McCain beat Huckabee 49% to 21%. In Hawaiian Democratic race, Obama beat Clinton 76% to 24%.

02/18/08 United States recognizes Kosovo as independent state
President Bush today recognized Kosovo as a new independent nation. The announcement followed similar ones by France, Britain, Germany, and Italy. Serbia, the nation from which Kosovo broke away, condemned the announcements. Spain, which has an active separatist movement in its own country, also refused to recognize Kosovo.

02/12/08 Obama, McCain sweep Potomac primaries
Barack Obama and John McCain swept the primaries held today in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. For the Democrats, the numbers for Obama and Hillary Clinton in those three states were 60% to 37%, 64% to 35%, and 75% to 24%. In the Republican race, McCain, Mike Huckabee, and Ron Paul garnered 55%, 40%, and 6%; 50%, 41%, and 5%; and 68%, 17%, and 8%.

02/10/08 Obama wins in Maine
Barack Obama won the majority in today's Maine caucus, taking 56% of the vote. Hillary Clinton took 40%. Clinton announced that she will be replacing her campaign manager.

02/09/08 Obama, Huckabee, McCain winners
Barack Obama won each of the four Democratic contests held today, while Mike Huckabee nearly did the same on the Republican side. In Louisiana, Obama got 57% of the vote to Hillary Clinton's 36%. In Nebraska, Obama took 68% to Clinton's 32%. In Washington, Obama took 68% to Clinton's 31%. In the Virgin Islands, Obama took 90% to Clinton's 8%. In the Republican races, Huckabee won the Kansas caucus today with 60% of the vote. John McCain and Ron Paul took 24% and 11% respectively. In Louisiana, Huckabee got 43%; McCain got 42%, and Paul 5%. In Washington, Huckabee took an early lead, but in the end, McCain got 26%, Huckabee got 24%, and Paul 21%.

02/07/08 Romney suspends campaign
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney today suspended his presidential campaign, saying, "I must now stand aside, for our party and our country." Romney had been the choice of many prominent conservative voices. He had also sunk millions of dollars of his own fortune into his campaign.

Notes: Votes for Joe Biden, John Edwards, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Gravel, Alan Keyes, Fred Thompson, No Preference, and Uncommitted are not included. Numbers are in percentages of total vote or, in the case of caucuses, of the percentage of delegates selected. An empty cell indicates that no vote was held. "—" indicates a vote tally of less than 1%. Bold, backgrounded text indicates the winner.

State	Democrats	Republicans
Clinton	Obama	Huckabee	McCain	Paul	Romney
Alabama	42	56	41	37	3	18
Alaska	25	74	22	16	17	44
American Samoa	57	43
Arizona	51	42	9	47	4	34
Arkansas	69	27	60	20	5	14
California	52	42	12	42	4	34
Colorado	32	67	13	19	8	59
Connecticut	47	51	7	52	4	33
Delaware	42	53	15	45	4	33
Georgia	31	66	34	32	3	30
Idaho	17	80
Illinois	33	64	17	47	5	29
Kansas	26	74
Massachusetts	56	41	4	41	3	51
Minnesota	32	67	20	22	16	42
Missouri	48	49	32	33	5	29
Montana			15	22	25	38
New Jersey	54	44	8	55	5	28
New Mexico	49	48
New York	57	40	11	51	6	28
North Dakota	37	61	20	23	21	36
Oklahoma	55	31	33	37	3	25
Tennessee	54	41	34	32	6	24
Utah	39	57	1	5	3	90
West Virginia			52	1	—	47

02/03/08 Romney gains another win in Maine
Caucus-goers in Maine chose Mitt Romney as their candidate in the Republican caucus held her today. Romney got 52% of the caucus vote, with remaining candidates John McCain, Ron Paul, and Mike Huckabee getting 21%, 19%, and 6% respectively. Undecided got 2%. Maine Democrats hold their caucus next week.

01/30/08 Giuliani is out
Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani announced that he is withdrawing from the contest for the Republican nominee for president. Having banked his chances on a win in Florida, Giuliani was faced with a disappointing third place finish. In his announcement, Giuliani threw his support behind John McCain.

01/30/08 Edwards leaves Democratic race
Former Senator John Edwards (D-NC) today announced that he was quitting his bid for the Democratic nomination for the presidency. Edwards was unable to do better than a second-place finish in the first contest in Iowa.

01/29/08 McCain wins in Florida
John McCain earned his third win in the race for the Republican nomination today. Florida gave McCain the largest delegate pool so far, though it was cut in half as a penalty for holding the primary so early. McCain won 36% of the vote in the winner-takes-all primary. Mitt Romney came in second with 31%; Rudy Giuliani, who had bet his campaign on Florida, was third with 15%. Mike Huckabee was a close fourth with 14%. Ron Paul had 3%. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton took 50% of the votes, with Barack Obama taking 33% and John Edwards 14%. The Democratic party, however, stripped Florida of all of its delegates because of the early primary and none of the candidates did any official campaigning in the state.

01/26/08 Obama wins South Carolina
As many expected, Barack Obama won South Carolina today, while John Edwards, who was born in South Carolina, came in a disappointing third. Obama took 55% of the vote, with Clinton almost 30 points back at 27%. While Edwards took only 18%, he vowed to stay in the race.

01/24/08 Kucinich quits race to focus on House
Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) ended his bid for the Democratic nomination for President today, following disappointing results in the past contests. Instead, Kucinich will be concentrating on keeping his seat in the House, for which he currently has four challengers in the primary.

01/22/08 Thompson takes himself out of contention
Former Senator Fred Thompson (R-TN) withdrew from the Republican race today. In a short statement on his website, Thompson wrote, "I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort."

01/20/08 Hunter bows out of Republican race
Representative Duncan Hunter (R-CA) ended his bid for the Republican presidential nomination today, saying in a press release that it is time he release his staff and supporters so they can focus on "the campaigns that remain viable."

01/19/08 Romney, Clinton, McCain winners
Nevada caucus-goers were good to Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton today, and John Edwards had a disappointing showing. For the Democrats, Clinton took 51% of the delegates to Barack Obama's 45%. Edwards was only able to pull in 4%. On the Republican side, Romney got 51% of the vote, with Ron Paul getting his best showing yet with 14%. McCain, Mike Huckabee, Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani, and Duncan Hunter followed along with 13%, 8%, 8%, 4%, and 2% respectively. In South Carolina, only the Republicans voted, and McCain got a much-needed win, with Huckabee getting a much-needed close second place. McCain got 33% of the vote and Huckabee came in with 30%. Thompson followed with 16%, then Romney with 15%, Paul with 4%, and Giuliani with 2%. South Carolina Democrats hold their primary next weekend.

01/15/08 Romney wins in Michigan
Penalized by both parties for holding its primary earlier than the parties had wanted, Michigan was still a factor in the Republican race, which now has three winners in three contests. Mitt Romney pulled ahead, taking 40% of the vote, with John McCain, winner in New Hampshire, pulling in 30%. Mike Huckabee, the winner in Iowa, garnered 15%. At the back of the pack were Ron Paul with 6%, Fred Thompson with 4%, Rudy Giuliani with 3%, and uncommitted with 2%. The Republicans stripped Michigan of half of its 60 delegates. The Democrats also held their primary, but the party stripped of all of its 156 delegates. Barack Obama and John Edwards withdrew their names from the race. Hillary Clinton did not withdraw, but also did not campaign in the state. Regardless, Clinton took in 56% of the vote, uncommitted took 39%, Dennis Kucinich took 4%, Chris Dodd, who has withdrawn from the race, took 1%.

01/09/08 New Hampshire primary results
In what some have described as a shocking victory, Hillary Clinton overcame a double-digit deficit in the polls to beat Barack Obama. In what was a little less of a surprise, John McCain repeated his 2000 win in the Granite State, beating out Mitt Romney, with Iowa winner Mike Huckabee trailing behind. Clinton got 39% of the Democratic vote; Obama got 37%, John Edwards 17%, Bill Richardson 5%, and Dennis Kucinich 1%. On the Republican side, McCain got 37%, Romney 32%, Huckabee 11%, Rudy Giuliani 9%, Ron Paul 8%, and Fred Thompson 1%.

01/05/08 Wyoming Republicans side with Romney
In his first win of the 2008 election season, Mitt Romney took an overwhelming majority of the Republican caucus held today. Romney accumulated 67% of the vote, with Fred Thompson far behind in second place with 25%. Duncan Hunter was the only other candidate to get enough of the vote to earn a delegate, with 8%. Wyoming Democrats will hold their caucus on March 8.

01/04/08 Iowa caucus results are in; Dodd and Biden out
Major news outlets are projecting that the first place winners in the Iowa caucuses held yesterday are Republican Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, and Democrat Barack Obama, U.S. Senator from Illinois. In the Democratic race, Obama pulled in 38% of the vote. Former Senator John Edwards pulled in 30% of the vote, and Senator Hillary Clinton was a close third with 29%. Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Biden both decided to abandon their efforts to get the nomination after poor showings. Huckabee, long considered a dark horse because of his lack of a large bank account, garnered 34% of the Republican vote. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who spent the most in Iowa, was second with 25%. Former Senator Fred Thompson was third with 14%; Senator John McCain, who is pinning his hopes on next week's New Hampshire primary, got 13%. Representative Ron Paul pulled in 10%. Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani did not actively campaign in Iowa, got 4%.

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