These were cases that involved the limits of affirmative action and the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

CNN: John King: Sounding off on Sotomayor

Rights define the proper limits of state action.

FORBES: With Gun Control, Cost Benefit Analysis Is Amoral

The new independent ministers find themselves telling their sovereign parliaments just what are the real limits on sovereign freedom of action in the modern world.

ECONOMIST: From the archive

Following a similar announcement by the Bank of England, the Fed's action understandably suggests central banks, having approached the limits of conventional monetary easing, are now experimenting with more monetarist solutions.

ECONOMIST: The Fed

Forbes.com asked financial advisors to comment on the best plan of action--assuming the higher contribution limits proposed by Congress--for people in three typical scenarios: a new entry to the workforce, a single professional with no dependents and an executive with children and a non-working spouse.

FORBES: Back To The Future: Rethinking Retirement

Some in Congress have also called on Harvey Pitt, the chairman of the SEC, to resign, arguing that his background as a securities lawyer and lobbyist for the big accounting firms is a conflict of interest that limits his ability to take the right action.

ECONOMIST: Congress gets tough | The