644 articles
United States nationality law
United States nationality law governs who acquires U.S. citizenship at birth (jus soli under the 14th Amendment, jus sanguinis under INA 301), naturalization, dual nationality, and loss of nationality under INA 349.
United States presidential line of succession
United States presidential line of succession: the legal order, set by the Constitution, the 25th Amendment, and the Presidential Succession Act of 1947, by which the vice president, Speaker, president pro tempore, and 15 cabinet officers assume presidential duties.
United States v. Skrmetti
United States v. Skrmetti, 605 U.S. 495 (2025): the Supreme Court upheld Tennessee's SB1 ban on puberty blockers and hormones for transgender minors, holding 6-3 that the law draws age and medical-use classifications subject only to rational basis review.
United States v. Wong Kim Ark
United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898), 169 U.S. 649: Supreme Court decision, 6-2 under Justice Gray, holding that a child born in the U.S. to Chinese immigrant parents is a citizen by birth under the Fourteenth Amendment, with exceptions for diplomats, occupying armies, and tribal Indians; reaffirmed in Trump v. Barbara (2026).
Urbarial Patent
The Urbarial Patent (Hungarian: úrbéri pátens), also called the Urbárium, was a decree by Maria Theresa in 1767 that standardized serfs' dues and labor obligations across the Kingdom of Hungary.
Viramontes v. Cook County
Viramontes v. Cook County, No. 25-238, a pending Supreme Court case consolidated with Grant v. Higgins, testing whether the Second Amendment protects AR-15 platform semiautomatic rifles against Cook County, Illinois's assault weapons ban; argument set for December 2, 2026.
Virginia Plan
Virginia Plan: fifteen resolutions drafted chiefly by James Madison and presented by Edmund Randolph on May 29, 1787, proposing a three-branch national government with population-based bicameral representation; blueprint of the U.S. Constitution.
Visa requirements for Sri Lankan citizens
Visa requirements for Sri Lankan citizens: the entry rules other states impose on Sri Lankan passport holders. Henley rank 95th, 39 visa-free destinations, no Schengen access; UK, US, and EU visas required; Singapore, Maldives, Nepal accessible regionally.
War Powers Resolution
The War Powers Resolution (War Powers Act, P.L. 93-148, 50 U.S.C. §§1541-1550) is a 1973 U.S. law passed over Nixon's veto requiring 48-hour reporting of force deployments and termination within 60-90 days absent congressional authorization.
Whistleblower Protection Act
The Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989, a US federal statute, protects most federal employees from retaliation for reporting illegality, waste, and corruption; it was strengthened in 2012.
White House Chief of Staff
White House chief of staff: the president's top aide, formal title Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff. Manages West Wing staff, Oval Office access, and NSC attendance; 26 holders since 1969; Susie Wiles holds the post since 2025.
White House Counsel
White House Counsel (Counsel to the President) is the chief lawyer of the White House Office, created under FDR, whose client is the presidency itself, handling ethics, nominations, oversight, and privilege matters.
William de Longchamp
William de Longchamp (d. 1197), bishop of Ely, chancellor, papal legate, and chief justiciar under Richard I, governed England 1190–1191 during the Third Crusade, was deposed in October 1191, and later negotiated Richard's release from captivity.
Zoning
Zoning divides a municipality into districts with legal rules on land use, density, and building form. Key facts: NYC 1916 first comprehensive ordinance, Euclid v. Ambler 1926 upheld it, zoning raises housing prices, reform wave since 2020.