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Background
Background explainers on terms, laws and procedures that come up in Dispute Index cases.
An AI agent is software built on an AI model that pursues a goal by taking actions, such as browsing websites, writing code or making purchases, rather than only answering questions. Because agents act with less human oversight, mistakes can cause harm before a person steps in.
4 casesUnder a 2023 Homeland Security policy, immigration agents may use deadly force only when they reasonably believe someone poses an imminent threat of death or serious injury. The policy bars shooting at a driver unless deadly force against that driver is itself justified.
21 casesUnder the Constitution, state legislatures set the rules for congressional elections and Congress can change them. State and local officials, usually in counties, run the voting. Federal law adds some national rules, including limits on armed federal agents at polling places.
6 casesThe Fourth Amendment protects people against unreasonable searches and seizures by the government. Courts generally require a warrant from a judge, based on probable cause, before officers search a home, with exceptions such as consent and emergencies.
0 casesThe Hannibal Directive was an Israeli military order, drafted in the mid-1980s, that let troops use heavy force to stop a soldier from being captured, even if that force endangered the captive. Israel's military chief ordered it canceled in 2016.
1 caseAutomated license-plate readers are cameras that photograph passing vehicles, read their plates and log the time and place. Police check the reads against lists of wanted vehicles and can search the stored records later. No federal law governs their use, and state rules vary widely.
5 casesThe Supremacy Clause in Article VI of the Constitution makes federal law the supreme law of the land. Courts read it to bar states from regulating the federal government directly or discriminating against it, though states may refuse to help enforce federal law.
4 casesThe War Powers Resolution is a 1973 law that requires the president to report to Congress within 48 hours of sending U.S. forces into hostilities and to end their use within 60 days unless Congress authorizes it. Presidents of both parties have called parts of it unconstitutional.
8 cases