Commentary by James Wilson Institute
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AUDIO: “Slavery and Natural Law”–Prof. Justin Dyer on Liberty Watch Radio
JWI Affiliated Scholar Justin Dyer recently joined Charles Heller on Liberty Watch Radio to discuss the place of reasoning from the Natural Law in public life, and especially its relevance to the Supreme Court’s debates about the issue of slavery leading up to the Civil War. Professor Dyer fielded questions from callers as well as Mr. […] -
“From Termination to Extermination: The International Down Syndrome Genocide”–Professor David Forte in Public Discourse
In a powerful, sobering essay for Public Discourse, JWI Senior Scholar David Forte takes the occasion of Gerber’s newly named baby of the year to offer a reflection on the natural right to life and the genocidal logic at play in significant segments of the “pro-choice” community. Lucas, a beaming two-year-old, is the company’s first ever […] -
AUDIO: Prof. Arkes on the Implications of Justice Kennedy’s Retirement, the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh and NIFLA v. Becerra
With the Supreme Court’s recent decision in NIFLA vs. Becerra (2018), the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy at the end of July, and the President’s nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh for the U.S. Supreme Court, many are speculating on what these events mean for future cases that consider freedom of speech and abortion, as well as what […] -
“Abortion and the Brett Kavanaugh Hearings: A Plan for Senate Republicans” Professor Hadley Arkes in National Review
With the upcoming hearings over Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh, Prof. Hadley Arkes makes the case for a different Republican strategy at National Review Online with his latest essay, “Abortion and the Brett Kavanaugh Hearings: A Plan for Senate Republicans.” Prof. Arkes begins by reviewing the traditional Republican playbook: promising to have the nominee keep his […] -
“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 […] -
“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 […]