For citizens to make informed decisions about who to vote for or what policies they prefer, they need good information about politics and public policy. In contemporary America, mass media is one of the prime sources of this information. Even so, most media organizations are for-profit companies, subject to the same regulations as other businesses. Broadcast media companies also use a scarce resource, the radio spectrum they use to transmit their radio or television signal. Can the government regulate the media without influencing coverage?

Due process is a citizen’s right to be treated fairly by the government. What does “fairness” mean when an individual faces the government, either in a court case or an administrative action? What ensures that governments respect due process?

The United States has a federal form of government, meaning that the power to make policy is shared between the national government in Washington and the 50 state governments located across the country. Federalism has certain advantages, most notably the ability for state and local governments to act based on better information on local needs. At the same time, federalism creates the potential for conflict between different levels of government in cases where they disagree on services, regulations, or other policy matters. When do such conflicts arise? Which level of government gets to have their say?