The Constitution and free speech*

After making clear they weren't going to mention the slavery bits, or prohibition, members of the House of Representatives proceeded to read aloud the U.S. Constitution to open the second day of the 112th Congress. As they reached the Article II requirement that the president must be a natural born citizen, a woman in the gallery got up and screamed, "Except Obama," and added something about Jesus (video here). The outburst invited a terse gaveling from the chair.

*Update: David Weigel at Slate has tracked down the birther screamer. Her name is Theresa Cao and, naturally, she has a blog. Peruse it here if you'd like.

The floodgates open

The U.S. Supreme Court today ruled that corporations are free to spend their money to support political candidates and campaigns.

Take that, Gavin

California Attorney General Jerry Brown today asked the state Supreme Court to overturn Proposition 8, arguing that the gay marriage ban deprives people of a constitutional right, something that cannot be done through the normal initiative process. Prop 8 backers call Brown's action "outrageous," the LAT reports.