Rand Paul presidential campaign, 2016/Federalism
From Ballotpedia
 Rand Paul |
U.S. Senator (Assumed office: 2011) |
 Republican candidate: |
2028 • 2024 • 2020 • 2016 |
This page was current as of the 2016 election.
Judiciary
- On February 6, 2015, Rand Paul expressed his opposition for Loretta Lynch's nomination as attorney general. Paul said, "Mrs. Lynch has a track-record of violating the individual freedoms granted to us by our Constitution. She considers civil asset forfeiture to be a 'useful tool,' while I consider it to be an infringement on the Fifth Amendment. She remains non-committal on the legality of drone strikes against American citizens, while I believe such strikes unequivocally violate rights granted to us by the Sixth Amendment. Mrs. Lynch also supports President Obama's calls for executive amnesty, which I vehemently oppose. The Attorney General must operate independent of politics, independent of the president and under the direction of the Constitution. I cannot support a nominee, like Mrs. Lynch, who rides roughshod on our Constitutional rights."[2]
- In January 2015, Paul stated he was in favor of judicial activism, "I’m a judicial activist when it comes to Lochner. I’m a judicial activist when it comes to the New Deal. But I’m also a judicial activist when it comes to Brown [v. Board of Education]. I think the [Supreme Court] was right to overturn state governments that were saying separate but equal is fine.” Paul added, "There is a role for the Supreme Court to mete out justice."[3][4]
- Paul opposed President Barack Obama's appointment of David Barron to the United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit. To support his opposition, Paul cited a memo written by Barron "thought to be the basis for the killing of Americans overseas."[5]
Legislature
- On September 19, 2015, Rand Paul called for congressional term limits. “We should term limit them all, fumigate the place and bring them home,” he said.[6]
Government accountability
- In January 2015, Rand Paul reintroduced the REINS Act, a bill that would grant Congress "final say over any major rule with an annual economic impact of $100 million or more." Speaking on the bill, which had previous passed in the House of Representatives in 2011 and 2013, Paul said, "If the Obama administration wants to impose regulations that effectively operate as laws on U.S. citizens, it is important that those citizens are made aware of how the laws come to be. Cutting red tape and opening the regulatory process to scrutiny is an important first step in holding government accountable."[7][8]
- In March 2014, Paul cosponsored S 2118 - ENFORCE the Law Act of 2014, which proposed allowing Congress to take civil action against the president for not enforcing federal law. After endorsing the bill on FOX News, Paul said, "We write laws and [Barack Obama]'s just deciding willy-nilly if he likes it he enforces it, if he doesn't he won't enforce it. And we really think he needs to be chastened, rebuked and told he needs to obey the Constitution."[9][10]
First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- On September 3, 2015, Rand Paul suggested the jailing of a Kentucky county clerk who refused for religious reasons to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples was a form of “bullying.” He said, “If society is going to change its opinion on what marriage is, I think it'd probably be better through persuasion than through sort of an aggressive tactic where we federalize everything and force people to do things they don't want to do. Ultimately, I think it would be better to probably let people make their own decisions. … I think persuasion is a much better way than sort of bullying people to believe in what you believe in.”[11]
| Paul discusses First Amendment with Glenn Beck on May 8, 2015. |
- In May 2015, Glenn Beck asked Paul for his perspective on Pamela Geller's incendiary comments regarding Islam. Paul responded, "I like the pundits or the constitutional critics that say the First Amendment really isn’t about easy speech. It’s about speech you find despicable. It’s about speech you find offensive. That’s the hard thing to allow that to happen in a free society. And I agree with you. I think it doesn’t serve any purpose. You can talk about the First Amendment without doing things that are really offensive to other people’s religion. But in our country, that’s part of one of our basic freedoms is the right to be wrong. The right to be offensive. And the right to say things that people find despicable. Now, you don’t you have to pay for them. You don’t have to have them in your building, if it’s your building."[12]
- In 2011, Paul stated, "[I]f someone is attending speeches from someone who is promoting the violent overthrow of our government, that’s really an offense that we should be going after—they should be deported or put in prison."[13]
- On November 3, 2014, Paul posted the following comments on his Facebook page: "The First Amendment is clear, and its intent is not to keep religious people out of government, but rather to keep government out of religion. I'll continue to stand for religious freedom."[14]
- In March 2014, Paul commented on the pending Hobby Lobby decision before the Supreme Court. Paul said, "Most of us, whether you’re Republican or Democrat, believe … in free exercise of your religion. But if they’re telling you that your tax dollars have to go to something you find morally reprehensible, I think that’s not free exercise of religion." Paul later affirmed this belief in August 2014, stating the case was about religious not reproductive rights, adding, "It's about whether a business should be able to choose what sort of insurance they buy."[15][16]
- Paul cosponsored S 1204 - Health Care Conscience Rights Act in 2013, which proposed amending the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, to exempt individuals and organizations from purchasing or providing insurance coverage that included abortion services or any "other item or service to which the individual has a moral or religious objection."[17]
| Paul discusses Citizens United at the University of Chicago in April 2014. |
- Paul advocated for the protection of paid speech in April 2014 while speaking at the University of Chicago's Institute of Politics. Paul said, "I do, however, agree with Citizens United in the sense that I think speech, whether you pay for it or not, is speech. And the thing is that, let's say I own The Chicago Tribune. I've got a much bigger voice than millions of people, and yet no one is proposing that we restrict how much The Chicago Tribune, what articles they write and where their bias is. So I think paid speech really has to be protected."[18] Paul added that he supported campaign finance reform as applied to government contractors and unions. Paul explained, "I think there is campaign finance reform–this is campaign finance reform that I support that would be held constitutional–what I would do is I would take all government contracts and I would put a clause in them that says: 'If you want to do work with the government, if you're going to get this 10 billion dollar contract if you're a defense contractor, or if you're a big union and you're going to get a big contract, you sign the contract, but part of the clause of the contract says your contract is only valid if you don’t participate in the donation to candidates.'"[19]
Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA)
- During an interview on April 7, 2015 for FOX News, Sean Hannity asked Rand Paul to comment on Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Paul said, "I think what’s amazing to me is that it’s [RFRA] necessary…I think our Founders would be aghast that anyone would think that they could tell you to do something, to perform a ceremony or be part of a ceremony, that’s against your religious beliefs. That being said, though, I think the law ought to be neutral, and I don’t think we ought to treat people unfairly."[20]
Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- On January 23, 2016, Rand Paul dismissed the significance of reports that former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) might launch an independent presidential campaign. He described Bloomberg as “[a]nother gun control advocate who doesn’t have much respect for he [sic] Bill of the Rights in the race, but we already have Hillary Clinton and Sanders who don’t have any respect for the Second Amendment either.” He continued, “I am not sure he would get a whole lot of votes really. I don’t know that what he offers is really that distinctive.”[21]
- Speaking at the New England College New Hampshire Student Convention on January 5, 2016, Paul was critical of President Obama’s executive actions on gun control. Paul said, “He needs to come to Capitol Hill and ask us to write a law. But he can’t declare law, otherwise he would be a king. I think what he’s done is going to be found unconstitutional.”[22]
- On December 21, 2015, Paul introduced the Separation of Powers Restoration and Second Amendment Protection Act, “which would void and prohibit funding for any of President Obama’s executive orders on gun control that undermines the powers reserved for Congress under the Constitution.”[23]
- Paul wrote an op-ed in TIME on December 9, 2015, to defend the Second Amendment in the wake of global terrorism. He said to promote national security, the U.S. should be “advocating for more concealed carry ability for law-abiding Americans and an end to unconstitutional gun free zone” and “fully examine and reform our border security, including refugee and visa programs.”[24]
| Paul speaks about the Second Amendment in April 2015. |
- Gov. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire vetoed SB 116-FN, a bill designed to repeal legislation that required licensure to carry a concealed revolver or pistol, in July 2015. Paul encouraged the people of New Hampshire in September 2015 to ask state Sens. Andrew Hosmer (D), Donna Soucy (D) and Jeff Woodburn (D) to override the veto on Senate Bill 116. According to Paul, SB 116 “enables every law-abiding citizen to bear arms as the Constitution intended: without government permission.”[25][26]
- In a video released by his campaign in April 2015, Paul said, "There are too many in Washington who give lip service to the Second Amendment, but vote to restrict gun ownership. I do not support any proposed gun control which would limit the right to gun ownership. Washington needs leaders that not only understand the Second Amendment but the entire Bill of Rights. And, gun rights advocates need to know that the Second Amendment is only as good as the Fourth Amendment. If we are not free from unreasonable and warrantless searches, no one’s guns are safe."[27]
- During a question and answer session on KSBW in April 2015, Paul discussed what he would do to address gun violence in schools. Paul said, "What we've done in our society is we've put up signs on all of our schools saying 'there's no weapons here.' Well, that's like a sign to a crazy person, 'come and shoot our kids.' I think we should do the opposite. We should put a sign in every school saying we have an armed security guard, whether you do or don't, or our teachers may well have a gun locked in their desk. I think we should send the other message to crazy kids that you don't get a free shooting spree if you show up at a school. But above and beyond that, the Second Amendment's in our Bill of Rights and if people want it to be different, they have to change the Constitution."[28]
- In July 2014, Paul sponsored an amendment to minimize gun regulation in the District of Columbia. The Washington Post summarized the amendment as intending to "repeal the registration requirement, end the ban on semi-automatic rifles and high-capacity magazines, expand the right to carry guns outside the home and protect the right to carry guns on federal land in D.C. and elsewhere in the country. In essence, the bill would eliminate the District’s local gun laws, leaving only federal firearms law to regulate gun ownership and use in the city."[29][30]
- In an April 10, 2013 op-ed for CNN, Paul listed several potential laws he believed would undermine Second Amendment rights: "Potentially on the table are new laws that would outlaw firearms and magazines that hold more than 10 rounds as well as require universal background checks, which effectively restrict the right of law-abiding citizens to buy guns at gun shows and give or sell them to friends and family without having to get the government's permission. One version of the legislation pending before the Senate goes so far as to empower the attorney general to tax gun transactions and creates a new felony crime for knowingly failing to report for more than 24 hours that a gun has been lost or stolen."[31]
- On March 29, 2013, in an op-ed in the Washington Times, Paul wrote, "When Congress reconvenes next month, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is expected to bring gun control back to the Senate floor. If this occurs, I will oppose any legislation that undermines Americans’ constitutional right to bear arms or their ability to exercise this right without being subject to government surveillance."[32]
- In March 2013, Paul voted for S Amdt 139, which sought "[t]o uphold Second Amendment rights and prevent the United States from entering into the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty."[33][34]
- In 2013, Paul voted against several bills restricting the rights of gun ownership. These bills included S Amdt 711, which sought to limit the sale of "assault weapons," and S Amdt 714, which would have limited the magazine capacity of firearms.[35][36]
Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- Rand Paul wrote an op-ed in the New Hampshire Union Leader on January 5, 2016, on the balance between national security interests and personal liberty. “Sweeping bulk data collection simply doesn’t work. Spying on Americans failed to stop the underwear bomber or the Boston Marathon attack. In both circumstances, the FBI and other officials received tips of suspicious activity, but with billions of innocent Americans’ phone calls to worry about, they did not have the time or the resources to sift through the data that was actually important, and real threats went undetected. … Let’s spy on more terrorists and not on innocent Americans. I reject the premise that our Constitution does not work as it is written and that we must choose between having the Bill of Rights and national security,” he wrote.[37]
- At the fifth GOP primary debate on December 15, 2015, Paul discussed government surveillance and immigration: “We are not any safer through the bulk collection of all Americans' records. In fact, I think we're less safe. We get so distracted by all of the information, we're not spending enough time getting specific immigration - specific information on terrorists. The other thing is, is the one thing that might have stopped San Bernardino, Calif., that might have stopped 9/11 would have been stricter controls on those who came here. And Marco has opposed at every point increased security - border security for those who come to our country. On his Gang of Eight bill, he would have liberalized immigration, but he did not - and he steadfastly opposed any new border security requirements for refugees or students. Last week, I introduced another bill saying we need more security, we need more scrutiny. Once again, Marco opposed this. So Marco can't have it both ways. He thinks he wants to be this, "Oh, I'm great and strong on national defense." But he's the weakest of all the candidates on immigration. He is the one for an open border that is leaving us defenseless. If we want to defend the country, we have to defend against who's coming in, and Marco is - has more of an allegiance to Chuck Schumer and to the liberals than he does to conservative policy.”[38]
- The Senate rejected on October 22, 2015, Paul’s amendment to the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act which would have removed liability immunity for companies that break user or privacy agreements.[39]
- On August 29, 2015, Paul said he would convert the National Security Agency’s data center in Utah "into a Constitutional Center to study the Fourth Amendment" and reiterated his opposition to bulk data collection.[40]
- In August 2015, Paul introduced several amendments to S 754 - Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act to better protect the privacy of Americans’ records, including those held by third parties.[41]
- On May 20, 2015, Paul took control of the Senate floor to argue against the reauthorization of the Patriot Act.[42][43] Prior to beginning his speech, Paul posted on his official Facebook page, "I have taken to the U.S. Senate floor to launch my filibuster to stop ANY extension or reauthorization of the 'PATRIOT Act's' unconstitutional and illegal domestic spying programs. I will not rest. I will not back down. I will not yield one inch in this fight so long as my legs can stand."[44] Paul spoke for nearly 11 hours, arguing against the mass collection of metadata by the National Security Agency and warrantless wiretapping. Paul's filibuster effectively delayed the vote on HR 2048 - USA Freedom Act of 2015 until May 23, 2015.[45]
- In a speech at Bowie State University in March 2015, Paul invoked the targeting of Civil Rights activities with wiretapping as one reason the Fourth Amendment must be protected. Paul said, "Think about what happened in the 1960s. Think about how Martin Luther King’s phone was tapped. Think about how hundreds of people involved in the Civil Rights Movement had their phones tapped. Think about how many people who protested against the war had their phones tapped. You have to have these protections not because there is one particularly bad person in government, but because there is the potential for bad people some day to take charge of government.”[46]
- In November 2014, Paul voted against cloture on S 2685 - USA FREEDOM Act of 2014, a bill that would have extended the Patriot Act and reformed regulations regarding the government's collection of electronic information. Paul said, “In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Americans were eager to catch and punish the terrorists who attacked us. I, like most Americans, demanded justice. But one common misconception is that the Patriot Act applies only to foreigners—when in reality, the Patriot Act was instituted precisely to widen the surveillance laws to include U.S. citizens. As Benjamin Franklin put it, ‘those who trade their liberty for security may wind up with neither.’ Today’s vote to oppose further consideration of the Patriot Act extension proves that we are one step closer to restoring civil liberties in America.”[47][48]
| Paul discusses the Fourth Amendment in February 2014. |
- In February 2014, Paul filed a class action lawsuit against President Barack Obama's administration alleging it infringed citizens' privacy rights when the National Security Agency collected their phone data. The case, Paul v. Obama, was put on hold by Judge Richard Leon of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in September 2014 pending similar metadata cases.[49][50][51]
- Paul introduced S 1121 - Fourth Amendment Restoration Act of 2013 to prevent government agencies from conducting warrantless searches of American's phone records.[52]
Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- On October 31, 2015, Rand Paul said he opposed the use of eminent domain to take land away from crop and livestock farmers for a pipeline running through North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa. “There are times we have to use eminent domain for roads and things like that, but for this, if it is going to another private property owner, I don’t think the government should be taking property through eminent domain,” Paul said.[53]
- In an April 2015 interview with Sean Hannity on FOX News, Paul suggested minorities are disproportionately impacted by the improper application of the Fifth Amendment. Paul said, "The Fifth Amendment says you should get due process. The Sixth Amendment says you can get a speedy trial. There are many people in our country, particularly minorities, who aren't being treated fairly. They're not getting due process. They're not getting a speedy trial."[54]
- In July 2014, Paul introduced S 2644 - Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration Act, which would have revised "the federal criminal code to increase the federal government's burden of proof in civil forfeiture proceedings to clear and convincing evidence." Paul co-wrote an op-ed for CNN with Tim Walberg that discussed instances where the Internal Revenue Service improperly seized property. In this article, Paul stated the FAIR Act "would bolster protections for property and property owners by raising the level of proof necessary for the federal government to prove a civil asset forfeiture case–requiring that the IRS and Department of Justice prove guilt, rather than the individual prove innocence."[55][56]
- In May 2014, Paul criticized the nomination of David Barron to the United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit because of Barron's interpretation of the Fifth Amendment. Paul questioned supporting a man who "has spoken openly about his role in crafting the Administration’s legal position that it can kill Americans abroad without due process."[57]
- Paul questioned President Barack Obama's use of drone strikes in May 2013. Paul said, "[T]here's still a question in my mind of what [Obama] thinks due process is. Due process, to most of us, is a court of law. It is a trial by jury, and, right now, their process is him looking at some flash cards and a PowerPoint presentation on 'Terror Tuesdays' in the White House. For a lot of us, that's not really due process."[58]
Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- Rand Paul advocated in favor of states’ rights in regard to crime and drug legalization at the September 2015 Republican debate. “I would let Colorado do what the Tenth Amendment says,” stated Paul. “This power — we were never intended to have crime dealing at the federal level. Crime was supposed to be left to the states. Colorado has made their decision. And I don’t want the federal government interfering and putting moms in jail, who are trying to get medicine for their kid.”[59]
- In June 2014, Paul questioned the fairness of a Kentucky state law that prohibits a candidate from running for two offices. Paul asked, "Can you really have equal application of federal law if someone like Paul Ryan or Joe Lieberman can run for two offices but in Kentucky you would be disallowed? It seems like it might not be equal application of the law to do that. But that means involving a court, and I don't think we've made a decision on that. I think the easier way is to clarify the law."[60]
- Paul cosponsored S 2473 - Federal Land Designation Requirements Act of 2011, which proposed prohibiting the federal government from designating an area for natural conservation or recreation without approval by the state legislature from the state in which the area is located.[61]
Separation of powers
| Paul speaks during Senate Foreign Relations Committee on separation of powers in March 2015. |
- In March 2015, Rand Paul attended a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing where he criticized President Barack Obama's administration for overstepping its authority. Paul said, "This is an administration who I believe has trampled the Constitution at many turns. This is an administration that seeks to legislate when that is not in their purview, whether it be immigration, whether it be health care or whether it now be a war that's been going for eight months without congressional authorization."[62]
- On September 12, 2014, Paul said, “I think the first executive order that I would issue would be to repeal all previous executive orders, We’ve done way too many things [the wrong way]: Signing statements, altering legislation by the president, are wrong and unconstitutional and shouldn’t happen. Executive orders shouldn’t either." Sergio Gor, a spokesperson for Paul explained Paul's comments. Gor said, "Senator Paul's statement was meant to emphasize this president's overt and unconstitutional executive orders, it was not meant to be taken literally."[63]
- In January 2013, Paul introduced S 82 - Separation of Powers Restoration and Second Amendment Protection Act of 2013, a bill that nullify executive actions that "infringe the powers and duties of Congress."[64] Paul condemned ceding legislative powers to the executive, stating, “It’s been a long battle that we’ve been losing gradually and even Republican presidents have also usurped their executive privilege to exert more authority than the Constitution gave them,” he said. “But, you know, our founders looked to Montesquieu, and Montesquieu wrote that there can be no liberty when you combine the executive and legislative powers.”[65]
Crime and justice
- During the seventh Republican presidential primary debate on January 28, 2016, Rand Paul talked about criminal justice reform and race: “You know, I've supported legislation to allow body cameras. I've been to Ferguson, Mo. I've been trying to look for solutions to our criminal justice problem. One thing I discovered in Ferguson was that a third of the budget for the city of Ferguson was being reaped by civil fines. People were just being fined to death. Now you and I and many of the people in this audience, if we get a $100 fine, we can survive it. If you're living on the edge of poverty and you get a $100 fine or your car towed, a lot of times you lose your job. I also think the war on drugs has disproportionately affected our African-American community, and what we need to do is make sure that the war on drugs is equal protection under the law and that we don't unfairly incarcerate another generation of young African-American males. In Ferguson, for every 100 African-American women, there are only 60 African-American men. Drug use is about equal between white and black, but our prisons -- three out of four people in prison are black or brown. I think something has to change. I think it's a big thing that our party needs to be part of, and I've been a leader in Congress on trying to bring about criminal justice reform.”[66]
- Speaking at the New England College New Hampshire Student Convention on January 5, 2016, Paul criticized politicians like Jeb Bush who have admitted to using marijuana. Paul said, “It’s a matter of do as I say but not as I do. I think it’s time we end the war on drugs.” Paul also called for criminal justice reform: “Criminal justice reform in general is something that should bring us together, both right and left. We shouldn’t have a system in which the wealthy are able to escape and the poor are caught up in a terrible situation. I’m not here to encourage (drug use). I’m just here to tell you we shouldn’t put people in jail for hurting themselves. And understand that there is a racial disparity in how we are putting people in jail for doing drugs.”[67]
- In response to the occupation of a federal refuge in Oregon, Paul said on January 4, 2016, “I’m sympathetic to the idea that the large collection of federal lands ought to be turned back to the states and the people, but I think the best way to bring about change is through politics. That's why I entered the electoral arena. I don’t support any violence or suggestion of violence toward changing policy."[68]
- On September 2, 2015, Paul suggested the heroin epidemic in New Hampshire could be addressed through increasing the employment rate. “People always come up to me and say, 'We got heroin problems and all these other problems.' You know what? If you work all day long, you don't have time to do heroin. … We need to attach work to everything. I don't think any able-bodied person in America should get a penny unless they work. No handouts, no gifts, no welfare. Everything should have work," Paul said.[69]
| Interview with Paul on PBS NewsHour regarding the REDEEM Act in July 2014. |
- Speaking at the Bipartisan Summit on Fair Justice in July 2015, Rand Paul pushed for criminal justice reforming, saying, “I think the biggest impediment to employment and to voting in our country is a criminal record.” Paul noted he worked with Senator Cory Booker (D) on a bill to expunge criminal records and end solitary confinement for young offenders.[70]
- On March 9, 2015, Paul sponsored S 675 - Record Expungement Designed to Enhance Employment Act of 2015, a reintroduction of a criminal justice reform bill Paul had developed with New Jersey Senator Cory Booker the previous year. Paul said in a press release, "It is my hope that the REDEEM Act will help many of these young people escape this trap by reforming our criminal justice system, expunging records after time served, and preventing non-violent crimes from becoming a permanent blot on one's record." Paul also noted the financial benefits of criminal justice reform given the increase in corrections expenditures over the past 30 years.[71][72]
- Paul previously sponsored bills in 2014 to eliminate minimum mandatory sentencing, allow some felons to vote, make some felonies misdemeanors and make it easier for individuals to expunge their records. Paul wrote an op-ed in USA Today on July 11, 2014, detailing some of these proposed changes for penalties of minor non-violent crimes. Paul explained, "The war on drugs has disproportionately affected men and women of color; minorities are nearly four times more likely to be arrested for certain nonviolent drug offenses, like drug possession, even though surveys show that white Americans use drugs at the similar rate. This is a travesty. I think that drugs are a scourge and are bad for young people, but a lifetime in prison as punishment is not the answer. The war on drugs has not lessened drug use. It has simply transformed a health problem into a prison problem, and ultimately an employment and voting rights problem."[73][74]
- On August 14, 2014, after the police shooting of Michael Brown and public rioting in Ferguson, Missouri, Paul argued against the militarization of local police forces and the erosion of civil liberties in the name of safety. He wrote, "When you couple this militarization of law enforcement with an erosion of civil liberties and due process that allows the police to become judge and jury—national security letters, no-knock searches, broad general warrants, pre-conviction forfeiture—we begin to have a very serious problem on our hands. Given these developments, it is almost impossible for many Americans not to feel like their government is targeting them. Given the racial disparities in our criminal justice system, it is impossible for African-Americans not to feel like their government is particularly targeting them. This is part of the anguish we are seeing in the tragic events outside of St. Louis, Missouri. It is what the citizens of Ferguson feel when there is an unfortunate and heartbreaking shooting like the incident with Michael Brown. Anyone who thinks that race does not still, even if inadvertently, skew the application of criminal justice in this country is just not paying close enough attention. Our prisons are full of black and brown men and women who are serving inappropriately long and harsh sentences for non-violent mistakes in their youth."[75]
- In July 2014, when asked about his stance on the death penalty, Paul said that it should be left to the states to decide, according to the Washington Times.[73]
| Paul testifies to the House Natural Resources Committee on the FOCUS Act in 2012. |
- In his 2012 book, Government Bullies, Paul criticized the Lacey Act which prohibits the trafficking of illegal fish, wildlife and plants. Paul called the Lacey Act “a frightening example of our government criminalizing activity that really shouldn't be criminal.” On February 2, 2012, Paul sponsored S 2062 - Freedom from Over-Criminalization and Unjust Seizures Act of 2012, which would have removed all references to foreign law in the Lacey Act and shifted penalties from the criminal to civil system. Paul reintroduced the bill in 2015 under S 1019 - Freedom from Over-Criminalization and Unjust Seizures Act of 2015.[76][77][78][79]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Rand + Paul + Government
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Politico, "Rand Paul dropping out of White House race," February 3, 2016
- ↑ CNN, "Rand Paul opposes Loretta Lynch's confirmation," accessed February 10, 2015
- ↑ Reason, "Rand Paul Rejects Judicial Restraint, Says 'I'm a Judicial Activist'," January 14, 2015
- ↑ WND, "Rand Paul: Let's think about judicial activism," January 13, 2015
- ↑ The Blaze, “Just Watch Rand Paul Deliver an Epic, Scathing Constitutional Argument Against an Obama Nominee: ‘I Rise Today to Oppose the Nomination…’," May 21, 2014
- ↑ Detroit Free Press, "Sen. Rand Paul calls for term limits for Congress," September 19, 2015
- ↑ The Hill, "Republicans introduce bill to rein in regulators," January 22, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.226 - Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2015," accessed May 23, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, “S.2118 - ENFORCE the Law Act of 2014," accessed May 23, 2015
- ↑ FOX News, "House backs bill to sue president over ignoring laws," March 13, 2014
- ↑ CBS News, "Rand Paul: Trump third party run 'could give us another Clinton'," September 3, 2015
- ↑ Glenn Beck, "Court rules NSA program overstepped their authority," May 8, 2015
- ↑ http://www.salon.com/2011/06/01/free_speech_4/ Salon.com, "Criminalizing free speech," accessed February 10, 2015]
- ↑ Facebook.com, "Sen. Rand Paul," November 3, 2014
- ↑ Politico, "Rand Paul on what Obama should tell Pope Francis," March 25, 2015
- ↑ The Des Moines Register, "Rand Paul: GOP doesn't oppose birth control," August 6, 2014
- ↑ Congress.gov, “S.1204 - Health Care Conscience Rights Act," accessed May 23, 2015
- ↑ University of Chicago's Institute of Politics, "CLIP: Sen. Rand Paul on Citizens United," April 23, 2014
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "There Is One Campaign Finance Regulation That Rand Paul Supports," April 23, 2014
- ↑ Breitbart, "Rand Defends Indiana RFRA," accessed April 16, 2015
- ↑ The Blaze, "Rand Paul: Bloomberg ‘Doesn’t Have Much Respect’ for Second Amendment, Probably Wouldn’t Get Many Votes," January 23, 2016
- ↑ WMUR, "Rand Paul tells students people should not be jailed ‘for hurting themselves’ with drugs," January 5, 2016
- ↑ Rand Paul, U.S. Senator for Kentucky, "Sen. Rand Paul Reintroduces Separation of Powers Restoration and Second Amendment Protection Act," accessed December 22, 2015
- ↑ TIME, "Rand Paul: Let’s Destroy ISIS — Not the Constitution," December 9, 2015
- ↑ New Hampshire Union Leader, "Rand Paul targets 3 state senators on NH gun bill," September 15, 2015
- ↑ Governor.nh.gov, "Governor Hassan’s Veto Message Regarding SB 116," July 6, 2015
- ↑ YouTube, "Dr. Rand Paul on the Second Amendment," accessed May 23, 2015
- ↑ KSBW, "Conversation with the Candidate: Rand Paul (Part 2)," April 3, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.Amdt.3478 to S.2363," accessed May 23, 2014
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Rand Paul again targets D.C. gun laws with Senate amendment," July 9, 2014
- ↑ CNN, "The government wants your gun rights," April 10, 2013
- ↑ Washington Times, "PAUL: A duty to preserve the Second Amendment," accessed February 10, 2015
- ↑ Senate.gov, “On the Amendment (Inhofe Amdt. No. 139)," accessed December 9, 2014
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.Amdt.139 to S.Con.Res.8," accessed May 23, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.Amdt.711 to S.649," accessed May 23, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.Amdt.714 to S.649," accessed May 23, 2015
- ↑ New Hampshire Union Leader, "Another View -- Rand Paul: Fighting terror without sacrificing liberty," January 5, 2016
- ↑ CNN, "Rush Transcript second debate: CNN Facebook Republican Presidential Debate," December 15, 2015
- ↑ The Hill, Senate shoots down Paul's contested cyber amendment," October 22, 2015
- ↑ Facebook, "Rand Paul," August 29, 2015
- ↑ U.S. Senator for Kentucky, Rand Paul, "Sen. Rand Paul Introduces Amendments to Cybersecurity Bill," August 4, 2015
- ↑ The Hill, "Paul begins Patriot Act filibuster," May 20, 2015
- ↑ C-SPAN, "Senate Session, May 20, 2015," accessed May 20, 2015
- ↑ Facebook, "Rand Paul," May 20, 2015
- ↑ C-SPAN, "Senate Session, May 20, 2015," accessed May 21, 2015
- ↑ Brietbart, "Standing Ovation: Rand Paul Blows Away Liberal Black Audience with Conservative Message at Bowie State," March 14, 2015
- ↑ Senate.gov, "Sen. Paul Blocks the Renewal of Patriot Act," accessed February 9, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S 2685 - USA FREEDOM Act of 2014," accessed May 24, 2015
- ↑ The Hill, "Paul sues Obama over NSA spying," February 12, 2014
- ↑ Law360, "Rand Paul Brings NSA Phone Dragnet Class Action," February 12, 2014
- ↑ Politico, "Ran Paul's NSA lawsuit put on hold," September 22, 2014
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.1121 - Fourth Amendment Restoration Act of 2013," accessed May 24, 2015
- ↑ The Gazette, "Rand Paul opposes eminent domain for Bakken line," October 31, 2015
- ↑ FOX News, Exclusive: One-on-one with presidential candidate Rand Paul," April 8, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.2644 - FAIR Act," accessed May 24, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Rand Paul: How feds can legally steal your money," January 30, 2015
- ↑ Breitbart, "Exclusive–Sen. Rand Paul: With Barron Nomination, Does Obama Even Believe We Have a Fifth Amendment," May 14, 2014
- ↑ Politico, "Rand Paul urges drone due process fixes," May 26, 2013
- ↑ CNN, "CNN REAGAN LIBRARY DEBATE: Later Debate Full Transcript," September 16, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "Rand Paul weighing dual run for White House, Senate," June 6, 2014
- ↑ Congress.gov, “S.2473 - Federal Land Designation Requirements Act of 2011," accessed December 9, 2014
- ↑ Rand Paul, United States Senator for Kentucky, "Sen. Paul Questions Secretary Kerry on Authorization for War with ISIS," March 11, 2015
- ↑ The Hill, "Rand Paul says as president he would repeal all executive orders," September 12, 2014
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.82 - Separation of Powers Restoration and Second Amendment Protection Act of 2013," accessed May 25, 2015
- ↑ Breitbart, "Sen. Rand Paul to Propose Bill to 'Nullify' Obama's Executive ORders on Gun Control," January 17, 2013
- ↑ The Washington Post, "7th Republican debate transcript, annotated: Who said what and what it meant," January 28, 2016
- ↑ WMUR, "Rand Paul tells students people should not be jailed ‘for hurting themselves’ with drugs," January 5, 2016
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Cruz, Paul call for peaceful end to Oregon standoff," January 4, 2016
- ↑ New York Magazine, "Rand Paul Says Employed People Don’t Have Time for Heroin," September 2, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Times, "Rand Paul: ‘Biggest impediment to employment and to voting in our country is a criminal record’," July 22, 2015
- ↑ United States Senator for Kentucky, "Sens. Paul and Booker Re-introduce the REDEEM Act," March 9, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.675 - REDEEM Act," accessed May 25, 2015
- ↑ 73.0 73.1 The Washington Times, “Rand Paul says death penalty is a state issue," July 24, 2014
- ↑ USA Today, "Rand Paul: Give kids a second chance after drug crime," July 11, 2014
- ↑ Time.com, "Rand Paul: We Must Demilitarize the Police," accessed February 10, 2015
- ↑ Paul, Rand. (2012). Government Bullies. New York: Center Street. (pages 108-109)
- ↑ Rand Paul, United States Senator for Kentucky, "FOCUS Act," accessed May 25, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.2062 - Freedom from Over-Criminalization and Unjust Seizures Act of 2012," accessed May 25, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.1019 - Freedom from Over-Criminalization and Unjust Seizures Act of 2015," accessed May 25, 2015
