Commentary by James Wilson Institute
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Interview with 2017 James Wilson Fellow: Tom Johnson
Tom Johnson was recently hired as a general counsel for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Previously, he was the Deputy Solicitor General for the State of West Virginia. He also practiced appellate and constitutional law and labor and employment law as Of Counsel at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. Prior to working at Gibson Dunn, […] -
“Putting The ‘Big’ In Big Government” – Prof. Michael Uhlmann in The Claremont Review of Books
In a piece for the Claremont Review of Books, JWI Senior Scholar Prof. Michael Uhlmann reviews Prof. Joseph Postell’s Bureaucracy in America: The Administrative State’s Challenge to Constitutional Government. Prof. Uhlmann articulates the reasons for the intellectual, legal, and political development of the administrative state. Some Excerpts: “By allowing agency rules to have binding effect […] -
“Conservatives And Freedom Of Speech” – Prof. Hadley Arkes in the Claremont Review of Books
Writing in the Claremont Review of Books, Prof. Hadley Arkes details the intellectual poverty of defending a notion of “free of speech” that denies any limiting principles on speech. The piece, “Conservatives and Freedom of Speech: Backing into Relativism?” is nicely described by Scott Johnson of PowerlineBlog: “Professor Arkes focuses on the philosophical ground on […] -
Does Gordon Giampietro Need a Defense?- Prof. Hadley Arkes in The Catholic Thing
Writing in The Catholic Thing, Professor Hadley Arkes defends Gordon Giampietro, a nominee for a federal district judgeship in Wisconsin in a piece titled “Does Gordon Giampietro Need a Defense?” A “controversy” was generated because of a supportive comment that Mr. Giampietro posted on a column written by Professor Arkes in The Catholic Thing four […] -
“What’s Wrong with Rod Dreher’s Straussian Narrative of the American Constitution” – Paul DeHart from Public Discourse
In “What’s Wrong with Rod Dreher’s Straussian Narrative of the American Constitution” Professor Paul R. DeHart examines the argument that modernity begins with the Enlightenment and how that premise impacts any understanding of the constitution. Professor DeHart teaches Political Science at Texas State University. Some Excerpts: “While it is certainly true that Christianity has moral implications and […] -
“The Left’s Dirty Little Secret” – Prof. Michael Uhlmann in the Claremont Review of Books
Earlier this year the Claremont Review of Books published Prof. Michael Uhlmann’s review of Thomas Leonard’s Illiberal Reformers. Prof. Uhlmann, a JWI Senior Scholar, notes “that eugenics lay at the very center of the progressive program,” and how it it powerfully brought together “a dogmatic faith in science and the scientific method, a comparable belief in […] -
“Jack Phillips Has His Day In Court” – Prof. Hadley Arkes in the Claremont Review of Books Digital
In early December 2017, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. The case concerns a weave of questions on freedom of religious expression, limitations on speech, and laws on public accommodations in the state of Colorado. In an essay for the Claremont Review of Books Digital, ”Jack Phillips Has His Day […] -
Forgotten Cases: “Worthen v. Thomas and the Contract Clause” –Prof. David Forte in The Federalist Society Review
In a recent article for the Federalist Society Review, Professor David Forte, JWI Senior Scholar, corrects our jurisprudential history on the Contract Clause by re-examining two opinions from the Supreme Court of the 1930s: Home Building & Loan v. Blaisdell and Worthen v. Thomas. Professor Forte articulates how, contrary to a standard narrative in constitutional […] -
James Wilson Lecture – “The Scottish Enlightenment and the Founding” –Prof. Daniel Robinson
On November 3rd, 2017, Prof. Daniel Robinson, Fellow of the Faculty at Oxford University and Senior Fellow at the Wheatley Institution, delivered the bi-annual James Wilson Lecture. Prof. Robinson has published over 40 books on psychology and philosophy. He writes widely on the constitutional history of the United States and its philosophical foundations with original research […] -
Free Speech and Religious Liberty at the Supreme Court
Jack Phillips, Barronelle Stutzman, Blaine Adamson, and the Larsen Family: each are blessed with extraordinary creativity and faith along with success in their private businesses. Jack bakes personalized cakes, Barronelle designs unique floral arrangements, Blaine prints custom shirts, and the Larsen’s videography captures the intimate stories of others. Each take pride in their faith and […]