For questions regarding the United States federal government. For questions about US federal law, use [united-states] instead.
Questions tagged [us-federal-government]
205 questions
44
votes
7 answers
USPS Back Room - Trespassing?
I go to my local post office nearly every day to drop off packages for online purchases. A couple of years ago, I had a van full and it would have taken many trips to bring them inside. I asked a clerk if there was an easier way. The supervisor…
Ed Urbaniak
- 441
- 1
- 4
- 3
39
votes
3 answers
What is the legal distinction between Twitter banning Trump and Trump blocking individuals?
For reference, this recent NPR article contains all of the information that inspired this question.
The lawsuits referenced in the above article center on then-President Trump blocking individual users on Twitter from interacting with or seeing his…
Geoffrey
- 481
- 4
- 6
29
votes
7 answers
Does the government control what time it is?
Does the government control what time it is?
Recently, I read that the west coast states are considering dropping Daylight Savings Time. Apparently, the process is first for the states to agree, and then they have ask for permission from the federal…
SegNerd
- 6,355
- 3
- 37
- 61
27
votes
1 answer
How do you collect unpaid debt from the federal government?
There are currently concerns that the federal government might just not make some payments it owes to people, either because it doesn't feel like it or due to some kind of massive computer failure.
I might be owed money from the federal government…
interfect
- 5,497
- 30
- 53
22
votes
1 answer
Bright-line or Litmus Test for Sedition?
The media is crediting Donald Trump, Giuliani and Trump's son with inciting the protesters to march from the Ellipse to and breach the Capitol building on 6 January 2021, interrupting the electoral college finalization.
Is there a bright line or…
gatorback
- 7,519
- 3
- 43
- 84
18
votes
3 answers
Can members of the media be held legally responsible for leaking documents they never agreed to keep secret?
Larry the Leaker is high up in the US government, and has access to highly classified information/documents. He goes to John the Journalist, and tells him to publish all of it. Obviously, Larry has agreed to a bunch of stuff telling him not to leak…
chausies
- 6,242
- 3
- 39
- 77
17
votes
4 answers
As a non-US person, what license may I have to use public materials from agencies of US government?
I want to reuse a gif published in this website of this US government agency. I don't see any copyright statement anywhere, except a link to Freedom of Information Act. In my vague understanding of this, it doesn't seem to say anything about having…
Ooker
- 487
- 4
- 10
17
votes
3 answers
May the federal government deny services, opportunities, or equal treatment to customers of businesses they do not like?
The executive branch of the US federal government recently started harassing the law firm Perkins Coie, including threatening to terminate federal contracts with the firm's customers.
Is making that particular threat (or carrying it out) legal, or…
interfect
- 5,497
- 30
- 53
15
votes
3 answers
Where do executive agencies obtain their power to effectively legislate?
Large portions of the Code of Federal Regulations are enacted by executive agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Aviation Administration, rather than by Congress. The parts that I have seen written by Congress are…
Someone
- 17,523
- 13
- 96
- 197
12
votes
1 answer
What does the "(U)" prefixed to each paragraph denote in reports by the US Senate Select Committees?
To illustrate, here's a screenshot from page 52 of the "Postwar findings about Iraq’s WMD programs and links to terrorism and how they compare with prewar assessment", with the text transcribed here:
(U) Conclusion 1: Postwar findings do not…
Pound Hash
- 223
- 1
- 6
12
votes
3 answers
"Murder laws are governed by the states, [not the federal government]." Is Vivek Ramaswamy right?
United States presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy stated he doesn't support a federal ban on abortion, a practice which he understands to be murder, because the U.S. federal government doesn't regulate murder (emphasis added):
For years, I was…
The Editor
- 1,341
- 2
- 11
- 35
12
votes
2 answers
Who has the authority to designate official languages in the United States?
Recently the President has purported to set an official language for the United States of America, by executive order.
Doesn't adopting an official language require an act of Congress, like adopting a national bird does? If not, why not?
I'm not…
interfect
- 5,497
- 30
- 53
12
votes
4 answers
Once a congressional bill has become law, how is it noticed by and overseen within the executive branch?
Bills, once they become laws, seem to be archived and internally published somehow. I wonder how the executive branch picks up on and implements them when/after this happens.
Someone, somewhere in the federal executive departments and agencies must…
2080
- 303
- 2
- 5
11
votes
4 answers
Could a federal law override a state constitution?
Suppose a state Constitution explicitly states that residents of the state have a specific right (obviously this comes from the abortion debate, but I’m not necessarily focusing on that particular issue).
Then suppose a federal law was passed…
SegNerd
- 6,355
- 3
- 37
- 61
11
votes
2 answers
Could the US Federal Government open abortion clinics inside Federal buildings in states where abortion is illegal?
As an example, USCIS has dozens of offices around the US, including many states where abortion is expected to be banned soon. Could the US Federal Government dedicate a part of every USCIS building to an abortion clinic, thus denying the states the…
JonathanReez
- 4,816
- 4
- 37
- 70