After a successful legal challenge by the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, Colorado Springs opts to abandon its controversial “no solicitation zone” policy for the city’s downtown area.

Under the new Affordable Care Act, nonprofit hospitals must file community health needs assessments, but there are several common misconceptions about this requirement.

South Dakota has become the first state in the nation to enact a law to allow teachers and volunteers in schools to carry guns. Similar proposals in other states have all stalled.

Did Blueprint North Carolina violate the ban disallowing 501(c)(3) public charities from partisan political activity?

U.S. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) has taken heat for comparing the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision to its Dred Scott decision, but it seems clear what he did—and didn’t—mean.

Does playing “Grand Theft Auto” or “Call of Duty” potentially turn gamers into real life shooters?

David Callahan suggests that “wealthy ideological donors use their tax-deductible donations to engage in politics” and that this activity shouldn’t generate tax deductions.

This past weekend, the Trayvon Martin Foundation sponsored an “I Am Trayvon” Day of Remembrance Community Peace Walk on what would have been Trayvon’s 18th birthday.

A new Obama administration proposal would exempt religious nonprofit employers from having to pay for contraception coverage while including coverage for employees who want it.

Longtime activist Norman Solomon says that progressive advocates must remember that their role is to put pressure on President Obama, “not to fall in meekly behind” him and his policies.

Immigrant advocacy groups weigh in on what they like and don’t like about the comprehensive immigration reform framework unveiled by a bipartisan group of senators.

As Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts swore in President Barack Obama yesterday, we wonder if Roberts thought about the third birthday of the Citizens United decision that he authored.

Gov. Martin O’Malley (D-Md.) wants Maryland to become the latest state to abolish the death penalty. Is the anti-capital punishment movement gaining traction?

The White House unveils a series of recommendations to reduce gun violence while the National Rifle Association unveils an ad that attempts to bring the president’s two daughters into the debate.

The death of Internet programming pioneer and open information advocate gives us pause to look at the ongoing push and pull over free versus commercial access to information.

While it’s unlikely (though not inconceivable) that congressional Republicans would allow the U.S. to default on its debt, they might try to force a government shutdown unless President Obama gives in and cuts programs.

When President Barack Obama added a signing statement to the National Defense Authorization Act, was it “rhetorical fluff” or a blow to whistleblower protections?

One might think that voting to approve relief funding for those struck by Superstorm Sandy would earn a legislator across-the-board nods of approval. Not so, says the Club for Growth.

Former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer says that new limits on deductions in the wake of the fiscal cliff deal will deter him from giving as much to charity.

In Steubensville, Ohio, a rape case garners national attention thanks to a hacker group claiming affiliation with Anonymous, but will the U.S. House revive the Violence Against Women Act?

Nonprofit health insurance cooperatives were supposed to deliver increased competition and lower costs, but now it seems that the fiscal cliff deal has nipped that promise in the bud.

The Urban Institute’s Gene Steuerle finds reason for optimism in the wake of the fiscal cliff brouhaha. As you survey the landscape, do you find support for notions of progress or decline?

Despite the “saving” of the charitable deduction and the renewal of the IRA rollover post-fiscal cliff, the resource problems of community-based, human service, anti-poverty, and advocacy nonprofits are all but assured to continue.

The fiscal cliff deal is loaded with surprising giveaways to corporate special interests. How did a deal to stave off a national fiscal calamity end up giving away so much desperately needed revenue?

The short message that should be taken away from the so-called “fiscal cliff” legislation passed last night is that it is no time to relax.

Inspired by the horrific mass shooting in Newtown, Conn., a gun control petition has broken the record for the most number of signatures on the White House’s petition website.

The charitable tax deduction cap debate feels like a Punch and Judy show, but nonprofits must be aware of scenarios that could emerge and, ultimately, they must be prepared to take a stance on the budget.

After a bitter debate that shows no sign of stopping, Michigan has become the first “blue” state to adopt the “right to work” law. What impact will this have on unions and workers?

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s announcement that it will take up cases involving the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8, advocacy groups kick it into high gear.

In California, under Proposition 139, a number of victims’ services nonprofits receive a cut of the 20 percent deductions taken from the wages of prison inmates.