December 1, 2000

Bush, Gore Go Before the Supreme Court
Clinton Hails Brady Law, Calls for More Gun Control
Mexico's Fox Sworn In as President

Bush, Gore Go Before the Supreme Court

Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore are poised today for a historic showdown in the U.S. Supreme Court that could decide the next president of the United States.

In the ornate marbled courtroom, the nine black-robed members of the Supreme Court are set to intervene for the first time in an unresolved presidential election. Seven of the justices were appointed by Republicans and two by Democrats.

The nation's highest court will examine a Florida Supreme Court ruling, challenged by Bush and defended by Gore, that extended a deadline for certifying results in a recount of the contested state balloting to include hand-counted votes, according to the Reuters.

Cato constitutional scholars Ronald Rotunda and John Samples have written extensively on the constitutional and legal aspects of the contested presidential race. Their articles include "Using The Psychic Hotline To Decide Contested Elections," "Let the Legislature Decide," "The Problem with Hand Counting," "The Equal-Protection Clause: A Field Day For Misleading Statistics," "Hillary Clinton vs. James Madison," "How the Electoral College Works-- And Why It Works Well ," and "In Defense of the Electoral College,"

Clinton Hails Brady Law, Calls for More Gun Control

President Clinton marked the seventh anniversary of the signing of the Brady gun control law yesterday with a call to give law enforcement officers even more information about gun buyers who fail background checks, according to the Associated Press.

"This country is still too dangerous for our children. The crime rate is still too high," Clinton said.

Associate Policy Analyst David Kopel examines gun licensing in "Trust the People: The Case Against Gun Control," noting that "although opinion polls indicate that most Americans favor some form of gun licensing (for the same reasons they approve of auto licensing), 69 percent of Americans oppose laws giving the police power to decide who may or may not own a firearm." In "Gun Policy in the Aftermath of Littleton," Doug Bandow writes that gun control is misguided and that studies show that guns are used five times as often to prevent as to commit crimes.

Mexico's Fox Sworn In as President

Vicente Fox ends the ruling party's 71-year government monopoly and embarks on his "revolution of hope" today when he is sworn in as president of Mexico. His inauguration caps a dizzying ascent that led the onetime Coca-Cola truck driver from country back roads to the pinnacle of power in the world's 11th-most-populous country, according to USA Today.

Recently, Cato hosted "Mexico in a New Era of Openness: What to Expect from Vicente Fox," a discussion of the changes in store for Mexico and the policies it will have to follow to sustain growth. The forum, featuring Director of the Project on Global Economic Liberty Ian Vasquez along with Fox advisers and government representatives, can be viewed on the Cato Web site.

In "Against 'Designer' Economics," Roberto Salinas León & Ricardo Medina Macias admonish Mexico's new economic authorities to remember that "the abuse of 'designer' exchange-rate policy as a cushion against external shocks is incompatible with an environment of low interest rates and high growth."

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