Several states are considering constitutional protections for hunting in a pre-emptive move intended to thwart efforts of advocacy groups to make shooting animals illegal.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi negotiators reached a breakthrough deal on the constitution Tuesday and at least one Sunni Arab party said it would now urge its followers to approve the charter in this weekend's referendum.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's constitution was adopted by a majority in a fair vote during the Oct. 15 referendum, as Sunni Arab opponents failed to muster enough support to defeat it, election officials said Tuesday.

“All  persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”

OUR VIEW: In the years after the American Revolution, an infant nation in the New World seemed perpetually on the verge of collapse. Neither a feeble Congress nor the one-term presidents were able to mediate disputes between the 13 states, and they couldn't pay the country's debts, particularly to war veterans. Such problems have toppled any number of governments over the course of history.

A perfect summary of the Grand Old Party's relationship with the U.S. Constitution comes from Texas Governor Rick Perry at Mike Huckabee's candidate forum on Fox News last Saturday. Governor Perry claimed as president he could overturn a law passed by Congress by executive order (he can't), and then to show his bona fides on the subject, he pulled out a copy of the Constitution from his breast pocket - displaying it proudly to the national audience.

Regarding the letter by D. Grant Bigelow On Aug. 15: While Mr. Bigelow’s ability to navigate a dictionary is impressive, he may want to bone up on his civics. The United States is not governed by a carte blanche majority rule. We have a Constitution in place to mitigate the potential for a tyranny of the majority that protects our citizens’ basics right. In case I’ve lost you, listen close... this is where the gay rights come in. Judge Walker, (whom by the way, was unable to be confirmed under Ronald Reagan because he was presumed to be too conservative due to his insensitivity to gays... a little interesting sidebar), recognized that a certain group of citizens was being discriminated against in an unconstitutional way, and said (and I’m paraphrasing), “Sorry kids... You can’t do that. Even if the majority of you think that Adam and Steve shouldn’t have the right to marry, they are protected citizens so what you think really doesn’t matter. You can’t vote their rights away.”

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A Shiite negotiator reported progress Friday in constitutional talks with the Sunni Arabs and Kurds on federalism but problems on the proposal to ban members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party from public life.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - In another dramatic last-minute standoff, Iraqi leaders late Monday put off a vote on a draft constitution, adjourning Parliament at a midnight deadline in a bid for more time to try to win over the Sunni Arab minority whose support is key to ending the insurgency.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqis voted Saturday to give a "yes" or "no" to a constitution that would define democracy in Iraq, a country once ruled by Saddam Hussein and now sharply divided among its Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish communities.

High school students and their teachers are invited to participate in the Bill of Rights Institute's sixth annual Being an American Essay Contest. The contest explores the founding principles outlined in the Constitution. It is run by the Bill of Rights Institute, a nonprofit educational organization in the Washington, D.C. area. The 2011-2012 contest is sponsored by the History Channel.

Fireworks in Gilbert, concerts in Mesa and a statewide proclamation are among the ways the 216th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution will be celebrated.

Skydivers floated around Gilbert Town Hall streaking the sky with comet trails, fireworks burst above plastic models of historic buildings and national monuments, red and blue balloons occasionally floated above the crowd, and London-born singer Alex Boyè, who became a U.S. citizen this year, sent the crowd into a screaming frenzy with his theme of world peace.

As Gilbert’s sixth Constitution Fair approaches, the event meant to celebrate the unification of the United States has led to differences in the Town Council over whether to be a sponsor.

It is one of the curiosities of the nation's capital that those who profess the greatest reverence for the Constitution want to mess with it the most.

About this time 221 years ago, 42 delegates gathered behind locked, guarded doors to complete a document they spent four months creating: The U.S. Constitution. They had convened, under rule of secrecy, to hammer out a framework for a new government, and evidence shows they realized the importance of the work at hand.

About 400 people who gathered this week at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stake center in Gilbert got a refresher course on why the U.S. Constitution holds such a revered place in Mormon faith.

The letter from Don Smith (April 8) is yet another attack on hapless Tribune contributor Jon Beydler, who could do no better than pose a lame analogy comparing auto insurance to a mandate for health insurance. Smith dismisses Beydler’s analogy as “quite foolish.”

In the blockbuster movie “National Treasure” starring Nicholas Cage, the Declaration of Independence was stolen by good guys to prevent the bad guys from stealing it. That’s Hollywood, but truth be known, it’s been stolen again — that and part of the original Constitution.

The U.S. House of Representatives, as it is periodically wont to do, last week approved by a comfortable 286-130 margin a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow Congress to outlaw flag burning as a form of political protest.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqis are unlikely to adopt a new constitution within six months, as proposed by Secretary of State Colin Powell, a spokesman for the president of the Iraqi Governing Council said Tuesday.

Secretary Powell's Remarks to United Nations

Parents and family greeted Tempe's Corona del Sol High School’s Competition Government Team at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport this week after it returned home from a sixth-place finish at the national We the People competition in Washington D.C.

Europe seems to have undergone a seismic shift, with two of its most influential leaders — France's Jacques Chirac and Germany's Gerhard Schroeder, frequent partners in thwarting the United States — in deep trouble with the voters.