Short Reads

In his landslide re-election victory last night, New Jersey Republican Governor Chris Christie carried 51% of the Latino vote, a 19 point increase from his performance in 2009, according to exit polls.

Today, for the first time in 30 years, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider a constitutional challenge to the practice of legislative prayer. Here are five facts about the case.

Workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and/or gender identity is banned in 22 states (including the District of Columbia).

In last year's elections, winners won by at least 10 points in all but 62 of the 435 House districts.

More than half of Americans express a favorable view of their state government.

The historic moment may not have come as a surprise to many. Twenty years ago, about half of Americans (54%) thought the chances were good that we would have a black president by now, according to a 1993 Gallup/CNN/USA Today survey of U.S. adults, while 45% thought the chances were slim.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said last week he planned to bring the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) to the Senate floor. The measure has been advocated by the LGBT community, 57% of whom who say that equal employment rights should be a "top priority."

While the American public increasingly has been looking inward after years of economic stress at home and a decade of wars abroad, they have a keen awareness of the challenges posed to the U.S. by China in the superpower competition between the two countries.

Seven-in-ten blacks say that blacks in their communities were treated less fairly than whites in dealing with police.

The Vatican plans to ask a range of questions on topics related to the family, including divorce, artificial contraception and same-sex marriage.