The Boston Globe's Naomi Martin and James Pindell report that all of 2020's formally declared "major party" presidential candidates say they support legalizing marijuana at the federal level. Yes, that includes President Trump.

Great idea! But why should the nearly 2/3 of Americans who want marijuana legalized spend the next 20 months listening to these candidates promise to make it happen? At least eight of them are in a position to get the job done now.

By the time you read this column, the US House of Representatives will almost certainly have passed the following Joint Resolution:

"Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That, pursuant to section 202 of the National Emergencies Act (50 USC 1622), the national emergency declared by the finding of the President on February 15, 2019, in Proclamation 8444 (84 Fed Reg 4949) is here-by terminated."

US president Donald Trump recently declared a "national emergency" under which he intends to divert money from the US Department of Defense's budget and use it to build a wall on the US-Mexico border.

No biggie, Trump said as he announced the "emergency." Happens all the time (59 other times since 1976, to be exact). Purely routine.

The traditional depiction of Lady Justice is a woman wearing a blindfold to demonstrate impartiality. In her right hand she wields a sword (symbolizing swift punishment for the guilty). Her left arm holds aloft a scale to weigh the opposing sides' cases — publicly, for all to see.

Over time, American judges have become increasingly inclined to demand that the public itself wear the blindfold, and that the opposing parties wear gags.