Commentary by James Wilson Institute
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“Conservative Jurisprudence Resorts to Relativism”–Professor Hadley Arkes in First Things
Writing at First Things, Professor Arkes weighs in on the decision of the Supreme Court in Masterpiece Cakeshop. The majority opinion has been described as a “narrow” decision to vindicate a Colorado baker in his refusal to supply a wedding cake for a same-sex marriage ceremony. At stake were the defendant’s rights to free expression […] -
“Religious Totalitarianism, Secular Totalitarianism, and Other Threats to International Religious Freedom” & “Domestic Challenges to Religious Liberty—From Left and Right” by Professor Daniel Mark
In a two part piece at Public Discouse, JWI Affiliated Scholar Professor Daniel Mark discusses the threats and challenges that religious freedom faces internationally and domestically. In “Religious Totalitarianism, Secular Totalitarianism, and Other Threats to International Religious Freedom”, Mark comments on the differences between Religious Totalitarianism and Secular Totalitarianism and the effects it has on […] -
“If walls could talk, would they advertise abortions?” by Catherine Glenn Foster ’16
Catherine Glenn Foster, a 2016 James Wilson Fellow, offers commentary on the pending case on the rights of NIFLA v. Becerra before the Supreme Court with her piece, “If walls could talk, would they advertise abortions?” Foster, who serves as president of Americans United for Life, summarizes the background of the case and argues why the […] -
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 […]