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The federal financial bailouts of the last few years received tremendous publicity, but multiple sources of “hidden bailouts” eluded notice, says Cheryl D. Block, JD, law professor at Washington University in St. Louis. Some hidden sources of federal financial rescue include new, expanded tax credits, the more liberal IRS interpretation of regulations, and “off-off budget” bailouts by quasi-governmental agencies such as the Federal Reserve Bank, according to research by Block.

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The Supreme Court’s decision March 2 that a military funeral protest by Fred Phelps’ Westboro Baptist Church is protected by the First Amendment is a free speech victory, but “there is one note of concern for free speech advocates, which is the opinion’s toleration of ‘free speech zone’ theory,” says Neil Richards, JD, constitutional law expert and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis.

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Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s move to strip or significantly narrow his state’s public-sector workers’ collective bargaining rights has significant implications for all unionized workers, both in the public and private sector, says Marion Crain, JD, the Wiley B. Rutledge Professor of Law and director of the Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Work & Social Capital.

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The Supreme Court should affirm the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, says law professor Greg Magarian, JD, because the act fits comfortably within a proper understanding of the federal-state balance of power. Magarian, a constitutional law expert, weighs in on the challenge to the health care bill.

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Anyone who cares about the rule of law has to acknowledge that illegal immigration has serious social costs that cannot be casually dismissed, says immigration law expert Stephen Legomsky, JD, DPhil, the John S. Lehmann University Professor at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. “When millions of individuals violate any law — whether it’s immigration, taxes or exceeding the posted speed limit — the rule of law takes a hit. But sometimes, mass violations reveal flaws in the law itself. At any rate, the rule of law also means that the penalties should not be disproportionate to the wrongdoing.”

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When the Senate convenes Tuesday, Jan. 25, it is expected to weigh a resolution to reform the filibuster rule and eliminate secret holds — protocols that many have blamed for encouraging congressional gridlock. Although the proposal is put forth by members of the Senate’s Democratic majority, it contains a series of relatively modest changes that should hold some appeal to the Senate’s Republican minority, suggests congressional expert Steven S. Smith of Washington University in St. Louis.

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Changing words in Mark Twain’s classic book "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is fine as long as the original version still is easily available for readers, says Gerald L. Early, PhD. “We change texts all the time,” Early says. “For instance, we make children's versions of the Bible, Homer and Shakespeare.”

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Cheryl Block, JD, federal budget and tax expert and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis, weighs in on tax cut extensions. “Finger pointing aside, both parties have been at the helm at various times since 2001,” Block says, “both standing watch over the growing imbalance between revenues and spending and both aware of threats to the nation’s future fiscal health in light of the aging population, escalating health care costs, and growing government commitments under entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicaid.”

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“The recent response of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to the WikiLeaks document dump gives us a peek at the sometimes surreal standards for dealing with classified information and at the fear-mongering in which some government officials are engaging,” says Kathleen Clark, JD, professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. Clark teaches and writes about government ethics, national security law, legal ethics and whistleblowing.

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The WikiLeaks controversy raises a number of important legal issues about national security and freedom of the press under U.S. law, says Neil Richards, JD, professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. Journalists and government officials have suggested that either WikiLeaks or The New York Times (NYT) might face legal liability for publishing the contents of diplomatic cables and other leaked documents.

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Despite its divisiveness, health reform legislation did not play a major role in the midterm elections. “We are still a 50-50 country more or less on health reform,” says Timothy D. McBride, PhD, professor and associate dean for public health at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. “About half the country really dislikes the reform law, and those voters were likely to vote Republican in this election. But in all likelihood they would have done so anyway. Similarly, the other half that still favor the legislation would likely have voted for the Democrats anyway.”

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Former Gore chief of staff Charles W. Burson, JD, senior professor of practice at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, says that the midterm elections reflect a dramatic turn from the wave of aspiration that defined our politics in 2008 to the wave of grievance that defines these midterm elections. “The Tea Party movement is the embodiment of that phenomenon. In Missouri, this wave has put the seats of Democratic Congressmen Ike Skelton and Russ Carnahan at risk, but the same wave may have also put at risk the seat of Republican Representative Jo Ann Emerson.”

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The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. Marion Crain, JD, the Wiley B. Rutledge Professor of Law at Washington University In St. Louis, looks at the act’s history and says changes in the American workplace and other factors raise the question of how the NLRA will adapt in the future.

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Recent calls to cut Social Security benefits are grounded in misinformation and misunderstanding, says Merton C. Bernstein, professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. “Cutting the program will lead to undiminished deficits, more poverty, less purchasing power, less business income and more unemployment.”

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Monday, Oct. 4, the opening day of the Supreme Court term, marks Elena Kagan’s first day behind the bench as a Supreme Court justice. Gregory Magarian, JD, professor of law at Washington University In St. Louis and former clerk for retired Justice John Paul Stevens, says that the experience of oral argument from the other side of the bench will be entirely new to Kagan. “There is no formal or conventional restriction on new arrivals’ participation in argument, but in all likelihood, Justice Kagan will display a bit of reserve at first while she gets used to the rhythm of questioning by nine justices,” Magarian says.

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Current census figures show that one in seven Americans is living below the poverty level, a rate that nears the record poverty levels of 1960. “The latest rise in the poverty rate illustrates how many more Americans are at risk of poverty and economic insecurity in this country," says Mark R. Rank, PhD, poverty expert and the Herbert S. Hadley Professor of Social Welfare at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

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Lack of "complete crime" hampered conviction chances in federal corruption trial of Rod Blagojevich, says Washington University in St. Louis law professor Peter Joy.

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Fourteen Washington University in St. Louis School of Law faculty, led by Gregory Magarian, JD, professor of law, played a prominent role in vetting new U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan.

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The Senate’s approval of Elena Kagan as a U.S. Supreme Court justice marks the first time three women will serve together and gives the court its youngest member, among other shifts.

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The nation awaits Missouri’s August 3 vote on Proposition C, a federal health care law opt-out described as a ‘last-ditch’ political measure by a Washington University in St. Louis expert.