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    Federal Court Strikes Down Calif. Same-Sex Marriage Ban

    A federal district court judge today struck down California’s ban on gay marriage, ruling that the prohibition violates the U.S. Constitution. The decision, which is expected to be appealed, represents the first time a federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Constitution protects the right of same-sex couples to marry. In his ruling, District Court […]

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    Mixed Reactions to Leak of Afghanistan Documents

    Summary of Findings The disclosure of more than 75,000 classified documents about the war in Afghanistan by the website WikiLeaks garnered significant media coverage last week, and those familiar with the story were split over the effect of the leak: about equal percentages say the release harms the public interest as say it serves the […]

  • report

    Text-Messaging Plays Big Role in Indonesian Census

    Indonesia, the world’s fourth-largest country, is taking a census this year, as it does each decade. Conducted in May, it relied heavily on text-messaging to convey data from enumerators in the field to their supervisors at central headquarters. According to a report on the Population Reference Bureau website, these day-by-day reports helped census officials monitor […]

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    WikiLeaks Puts Afghanistan Back on Media Agenda

    The leak of some 90,000 classified war reports triggered a renewed debate over war strategy in Afghanistan. With court action in Arizona, the immigration debate dominated cable news.

  • report

    The Invisible Court

    While legal scholars analyze Kagan’s possible impact on the “Roberts court,” most Americans have no idea who “Roberts” is. And as experts debate if the court has become more conservative, the public sees the court moving in the opposite direction.

  • report

    Earmarks Could Help Candidates in Midterms; Palin and Tea Party Connections Could Hurt

    Overview In the congressional elections this fall, candidates with a record of bringing government projects and money to their districts may have an edge. A majority of Americans (53%) say they are more likely to vote for a candidate with a record of delivering earmarks for their districts; just 12% say they would be less […]

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    God & Guns

    God and guns seem to be popular themes in 2010 campaign ads, sometimes popping up in close proximity. Before losing in the Republican runoff in Alabama’s 2nd congressional district, candidate Rick Barber garnered national attention for this campaign video featuring a portrayal of George Washington rapping his fingers next to a Bible and what appears […]

  • report

    Other Ways to Conduct a Census

    The Wall Street Journal’s “The Numbers Guy” columnist, Carl Bialik, has weighed in on the debate over whether Americans should be required by law to fill in their census forms, and whether there are other ways to take the census.