U.S. Constitution

OGDEN — Doug Lovell would like one hand free for the coming hearings on his bid to avoid the death penalty.

In a motion asking that “defendant be unshackled during extended hearings,” his public defenders argue Lovell’s right to “effective assistance of counsel” includes the client’s ability to take notes during hearings to communicate with counsel.

OGDEN — The public is invited to learn more about the Constitution from award-winning author and teacher Margaret Rostkowski.

SALT LAKE CITY — Legislators will learn from the mistakes of others before taking on the federal government over control of federal lands within the state, several local lawmakers say about current efforts to address the issue.

SALT LAKE CITY — One expert on the legal right of the state to control land within its own borders says a potential court challenge by state lawmakers to federal land holdings in Utah comes down to a simple concept: control.

“He who controls the sod, controls the people,” Bill Redd said of a potential showdown over the 67 percent of the Beehive State owned by the federal government. Redd, a former San Juan County commissioner, said he has experienced firsthand the negative side of federal land control.

There are four bills now in front of the Utah House of Representatives that form the basis of a legal challenge to the federal government’s right to control approximately two-thirds of the land in the state. The bills invoke promises dating back to when Utah gained statehood in 1896.

OGDEN — Weber State University will host a talk, “Weber Reads: Slavery and the Constitution,” at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Stewart Library Hetzel-Hoellein Room.

This free presentation will feature Adrienne Gillespie, WSU’s Center for Diversity & Unity coordinator.

Call 801-626-7613 for information.

Weber State is at 3848 Harrison Blvd.

OGDEN -- Do Mitt Romney's fellow presidential candidates have the right to challenge the nature of his religious faith? And should children enrolled in public schools be asked to pledge their allegiance to "one nation, under God"?

Diverse opinions flowed at Weber State University's Taboo Talks, this month focused on America's uneasy mixing of religion and politics.

WASHINGTON — Texas Gov. Rick Perry, faulting much of what the federal government did in the 20th century, has called Social Security a “failure” and “an illegal Ponzi scheme” and also cast doubt on the constitutionality of federal laws on food safety, minimum wages, bans on child labor, environmental protection and Medicare.