Commentary by James Wilson Institute
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“Secular Materialism Can’t Make Sense of Reality” by Professor Justin Dyer
Writing in The Public Discourse ”Secular Materialism Can’t Make Sense of Reality“, Professor Justin Dyer, a JWI Affiliated Scholar, confronts the philosophies of materialism which seem to increasingly gain prominence in modern society. Pointing to the thoughts of modern philosophers such as Saul Smilansky, he observes that secular materialism, which reduces “every thought, every hope, and every […] -
AUDIO: Prof. Arkes on the Implications of Justice Kennedy’s Retirement and NIFLA v. Becerra
With the Supreme Court’s recent decision in NIFLA vs. Becerra (2018), and the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy at the end of July, many are speculating on what these events mean for future cases that consider freedom of speech and abortion, as well as what these developments mean for the Supreme Court as an institution. Professor Hadley […] -
“Another Pro-Life Victory?” –Professor Hadley Arkes in First Things
In an essay titled, “Another Pro-Life Victory?,” published at First Things, Professor Hadley Arkes probes the logic of the recent Supreme Court ruling in NIFLA v. Becerra. In doing so, he finds the conservative justices achieving yet another laudable outcome this term: a victory for the right of pro-life pregnancy centers to refuse to comply with a […] -
Free Speech, Ordinary People, and Ordinary Judgments: Hadley Arkes responds to Robert Miller
In defense of his recently published piece “Conservatives and Freedom of Speech,” Professor Arkes, writing in Public Discourse, carefully responds to Professor Robert Miller’s critique that even the most objectively offensive and harmful speech ought to be completely protected in order to safeguard against the tendency of legislatures to make errors of “false positives”. Professor Arkes […] -
JWI Audio: Joseph Tartakovsky’s “The Lives of the Constitution: Ten Exceptional Minds that Shaped America’s Supreme Law.”
On Friday, June 15th, JWI’s Deputy Director Garrett Snedeker and Intern Michael McCall shared a discussion with Joseph Tartakovsky, author of the new book The Lives of the Constitution: Ten Exceptional Minds that Shaped America’s Supreme Law (Encounter Books, 2018). Mr. Tartakovsky, a lawyer by trade, is currently the James Wilson Fellow in Constitutional Law […] -
“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 […]