Brentwood State Senator Jack Johnson issued a press release earlier this month—on official letterhead—announcing a special visit by Richard M. Nixon at Nashville’s Legislative Plaza during the General Assembly session. The announcement was part of a publicity stunt for Franklin-based professional theatre company Studio Tenn, whose production of the political stage drama “Frost/Nixon” opens this week
The Tennessee Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the historic State Capitol last week in the chambers where the Court regularly convened from the 1850s until the Supreme Court Building was completed in 1937. These pictures show the courtroom that was restored to a 19th Century-era style in 1988. Besides the historical significance of the
In Steve Martin’s 2010 novel “An Object of Beauty,” which I am currently reading, John Updike makes a cameo appearance as a gentleman fellow-traveler on a train from New York to Washington D.C. with the story’s protagonist and a Milton Avery painting. In the book, Updike posits that “Paintings are Darwinian” in that they drift
An interesting juxtaposition of developments trailing one of the biggest news stories of 2013 reinforces just how convoluted the whole situation is and likely will be for the foreseeable future: First, to the surprise of few (and the dismay of more), the White House yesterday confirmed it is not considering amnesty for Edward Snowden, the
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination against employees on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. The Civil Rights Act also contains a “whistleblower” provision which prohibits employers from retaliation against employees who complain of Title VII violations. The United States Supreme Court recently agreed to hear a case involving the
“You say you’ll change the constitution, well you know, we all want to change your head.” —The Beatles, “Revolution 1” (Lennon/McCartney) Constitutional amendments don’t come easy, and that is the way it was intended. The first ten amendments, or the Bill of Rights, were enacted in December 1791, less than 3 years after the Constitution
While most of the attention of this week’s election focused on the Presidential race, the legalization of marijuana in Colorado and Washington state and the approval of same-sex marriage in Maine and Maryland will have a more profound and longer term effect on state and Federal laws—and probably on everyday life, as well. Marijuana is classified as an illegal drug