Andrew P. Napolitano

On the heels of his worst week in office, during which his crude comments about race were widely perceived as defending racism and hatred – comments that sent some of his natural domestic allies fleeing – President Donald Trump could not bring himself to articulate a mea culpa. Instead, he purported to defend as "some … Continue reading “If You Can’t Change Your Mind, Change the Subject”

"The makers of our Constitution … conferred, as against the Government, the right to be let alone – the most comprehensive of rights and the right most valued by civilized men." ~ Justice Louis D. Brandeis, 1928 After the Watergate era had ended and Jimmy Carter was in the White House and the Senate’s Church Committee had attempted to grasp … Continue reading “Spying on You, Spying on Me, Spying on the President”

The history of the world is the history of violence. I had planned to write this column about the most critical act of violence in human history and its superhuman aftermath – the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter, which celebrates His resurrection in a few days, is the centerpiece of all Christian belief. … Continue reading “The Missiles of Holy Week and the Rule of Law”

The issue of federal government surveillance of Americans has largely occupied Washington politicians and the media since President Donald Trump first accused the administration of his predecessor of spying on him while he and his colleagues worked at Trump Tower in New York City during the presidential election campaign and during the presidential transition. Trump’s … Continue reading “A Hole in the Constitution”

The question of whether former President Barack Obama actually spied on President Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign and transition has been tantalizing Washington since President Trump first made the allegation nearly two weeks ago. Since then, three investigations have been launched – one by the FBI, one by the House of Representatives and … Continue reading “Did Obama Spy on Trump?”

Those of us who believe that the Constitution means what it says have been arguing since the late 1970s that congressional efforts to strengthen national security by weakening personal liberty are unconstitutional, un-American and ineffective. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which Congress passed in the aftermath of President Richard Nixon’s use of the CIA and … Continue reading “Congress Created a Monster”

Last week, President Donald Trump erupted with fury over a series of public revelations of private facts – some top-secret and some office gossip – that painted him and his White House in a bad light. The president ordered the FBI to investigate some of these so-called leaks and his own White House counsel to … Continue reading “Concealing and Revealing”

Last week, The Wall Street Journal revealed that members of the intelligence community – part of the deep state, the unseen government within the government that does not change with elections – now have acquired so much data on everyone in America that they can selectively reveal it to reward their friends and harm their … Continue reading “The Chickens Have Come Home to Roost”

This past weekend, we all saw massive public outrage in major cities throughout the country. It was directed at the Jan. 27 issuance of an executive order, signed by President Donald Trump, addressing immigration. With the executive order, the president ordered the suspension of entry of all refugees to the United States for 120 days, … Continue reading “The President and Immigration”

On Jan. 3, outgoing Attorney General Loretta Lynch secretly signed an order directing the National Security Agency – America’s 60,000-person-strong domestic spying apparatus – to make available raw spying data to all other federal intelligence agencies, which then can pass it on to their counterparts in foreign countries and in the 50 states upon request. … Continue reading “A Parting Shot at Personal Freedom”