New report: President Trump’s Commutation of Roger Stone’s Criminal Sentence Violated the Faithful Execution Clauses of the U.S. Constitution Posted on August 5, 2020 Challenging Corruption The President’s constitutional power to pardon (or to commute) is broad, but it is not absolute. Rather, it is limited by the text of the Constitution, including, for example, the Equal Protection Clause and the First Amendment, and, most relevant here, Article II’s Faithful Execution Clauses, which established legal constraints on the Executive similar toRead More
New Revelations from Manhattan DA Show Why New York Attorney General Should Revoke Trump Organization’s Corporate Charter Posted on August 3, 2020 Challenging Corruption New revelations from Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance demonstrate why it is more important than ever for New York State Attorney General Letitia James to begin proceedings to dissolve the Trump Organization. Background In 2019, the New York County District Attorney’s Office—acting on behalf of a grand jury—served a subpoena duces tecum on Mazars USA,Read More
FSFP Board Chair Ben Clements Authors New Oped on How the House Could Stop Trump’s Unconstitutional Use of Federal Paramilitary Officials In U.S Cities. Posted on July 29, 2020 Challenging Corruption FSFP Board Chair Ben Clements recently authored an Oped about how The House of Representatives could stop Trump’s unconstitutional use of federal paramilitary officials in U.S cities. “Trump’s use of these federal agencies to turn our country into a police state is not only unconstitutional. It is straight out of the playbook of the fascistRead More
“Trump has abused the pardon power in violation of the Constitution.”: FSFP Board Chair Ben Clements On Trump’s Unconstitutional Commutation Of Roger Stone’s Prison Sentence. Posted on July 23, 2020 (July 23, 2020) Challenging Corruption FSFP Board Chair Ben Clements recently authored an Oped on Trump’s unconstitutional commutation of Roger Stone’s prison sentence. The new piece comes after Free Speech For People filed a motion before the federal district court in U.S. v. Stone on behalf of constitutional law Professors Jed Shugerman and Ethan Leib seeking permission to submit anRead More
FSFP Board Chair Ben Clements Joins The BradCast To Discuss Trump’s Unconstitutional Commutation of Roger Stone’s Prison Sentence. Posted on July 20, 2020 (July 20, 2020) Challenging Corruption FSFP Board Chair and Senior Legal Advisor Ben Clements recently appeared on The BradCast to discuss Trump’s unconstitutional commutation of Roger Stone’s prison sentence and the implications of this latest abuse of the presidential pardon power. “The notion that the presidential pardon power or any other presidential power is absolute is just flat out wrongRead More
Free Speech For People Seeks to File Amicus Brief in U.S. v. Stone on Behalf of Constitutional Law Professors Posted on July 15, 2020 (July 15, 2020) Challenging Corruption Free Speech For People just filed an urgent motion before the federal district court in U.S. v. Stone on behalf of constitutional law Professors Jed Shugerman and Ethan Leib seeking permission to submit an amicus brief arguing that the court should not automatically accept the executive grant of clemency but rather should consider whether itRead More
FSFP Board Member Jennifer Taub Co-Authors New Oped on Trump’s Commutation of Roger Stone’s Prison Sentence and the Case for Reconvening an Impeachment Inquiry. Posted on July 15, 2020 Challenging Corruption FSFP Board Member Professor Jennifer Taub recently co-authored a CNN Oped on Trump’s commutation of Roger Stone’s prison sentence and the need for Congress to convene an impeachment inquiry to hold Trump accountable for his abuse of power. “If 20 Republican senators were to state that Stone’s bribery-tinged commutation is too much for them atRead More
FSFP urges House Judiciary Committee to convene an impeachment inquiry following Trump’s commutation of Roger Stone’s prison sentence Posted on July 11, 2020 (July 13, 2020) Impeachment Free Speech For People issued a letter today to Committee Chairman Nadler and Vice Chairwoman Scanlon of the House Judiciary Committee, urging the Committee to convene an impeachment inquiry immediately to investigate whether to recommend articles of impeachment against President Donald J. Trump for commuting the prison sentence of his longtime ally, Roger Stone. Mr.Read More
“This president is no friend of democracy”: Bill Moyers tackles authoritarianism in the age of Donald Trump. Posted on June 9, 2020 (June 15, 2020) Challenging Corruption Excerpt from Bill Moyers’ essay We Hold This Truth to Be Self-Evident: It’s Happening Before Our Very Eyes. At 98, historian Bernard Weisberger has seen it all. Born in 1922, he grew up watching newsreels of Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler as they rose to power in Europe. He vividly remembers Mussolini posturing to crowdsRead More
“Trump’s authoritarianism in the streets is being matched in the courts”: FSFP Board Member Jennifer Taub co-authors Op-Ed on Trump’s threats to our democracy and Constitution. Posted on June 5, 2020 (June 15, 2020) Challenging Corruption Free Speech for People Board Member Jennifer Taub recently co-authored an op-ed with Joshua A. Geltzer, Neal K. Katyal, and Laurence H. Tribe in the Washington Post about the Trump administration’s authoritarian response to peaceful protestors and its simultaneous push to dismiss the case against Michael Flynn via a court brief. “The brief represents aRead More