History
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“Moral Relativism is our True Constitutional Enemy” – Professor Hadley Arkes in The American Mind
In an article for The American Mind titled “Moral Relativism is our True Constitutional Enemy,” JWI Founder & Director Hadley Arkes uses the debate between Sohrab Ahmari and David French at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. to illustrate the drift into moral relativism in our jurisprudence. Prof. Arkes traces the roots of […] -
“The Take Care Act” — James Wilson Fellow Alumnus Joel Nolette ’18
In a piece for the Federalist Society titled “The Take Care Act”, Joel Nolette praises a new Senate bill aimed at curbing the growth of the administrative state. According to Nolette, the Supreme Court embraced wholesale the technocracy of the New Deal Left by stripping the President of removal power in its landmark Humphrey’s Executor […] -
“Justice on Trial: The Kavanaugh Confirmation and the Future of the Supreme Court” An Interview with Mollie Hemingway and Carrie Severino
In July 2019, JWI’s Deputy Director Garrett Snedeker and Intern Maura Bradley shared a discussion with Mollie Hemingway and Carrie Severino, the authors of the book Justice on Trial: The Kavanaugh Confirmation and the Future of the Supreme Court (Regnery Publishing, 2019). Hemingway is senior editor at the online magazine The Federalist where she covered the Kavanaugh confirmation […] -
“The Pursuit of Happiness Rightly Understood”–Justin Dyer in Public Discourse
In an essay for Public Discourse titled “The Pursuit of Happiness Rightly Understood”, JWI-affiliated scholar Justin Dyer reintroduces the classical understanding of liberty that inspired the Declaration of Independence. He challenges the deeply entrenched fallacy that American liberalism is a philosophy of license: hardly a synonym for property, Jefferson’s careful wording reflects the Aristotelian and […] -
“Reordering the Public Square” –Gunnar Gundersen in First Things
In an article for First Things titled “Reordering the Public Square”, Gunnar Gundersen defends the government’s role in promoting the common good. Responding to both liberal and conservative advocates of government neutrality, Gundersen reaches into history to shed light on America’s deep Christian roots. He finds no legal footing for rigid constitutional interpretations which retool […] -
“In Defense of Political Reason” –Professor Daniel Mahoney in The American Mind
In an essay for The American Mind titled “In Defense of Political Reason”, Professor Daniel J. Mahoney reaffirms reason’s place within the conservative legal and political tradition. Responding to Yoram Hazony’s scathing denunciation of modern reason in The American Mind, Professor Mahoney acknowledges the destructive effects of rationalism while attempting to rescue premodern reason as […] -
“Judaism, Natural Law, and the Achievement of David Novak” –Daniel Mark in Public Discourse
In an article for Public Discourse titled “Judaism, Natural Law, and the Achievement of David Novak”, JWI affiliated scholar Daniel Mark praises professor David Novak for popularizing natural law theory within the Jewish faith tradition. Mark identifies the competing strands of today’s Jewish thought, criticizing Reform Judaism for embracing too much of the modern world […] -
“American Law Is Not “Neutral” on Religion” — JWI Affiliated Scholar Gunnar Gundersen in Claremont American Mind
In a recent piece, David French proclaimed: “Here is the absolute, blunt truth: America will always be a nation of competing worldviews and competing, deeply held values.” JWI Affiliated Scholar Gunnar Gundersen in his essay “American Law is Not “Neutral on Religion” for The American Mind challenges French’s claim, arguing that the United States “and […] -
“John Marshall: The Man Who Made the Supreme Court” An Interview with Richard Brookhiser
Richard Brookhiser In May 2019, JWI’s Deputy Director Garrett Snedeker and Intern Josh Hiero shared a discussion with Richard Brookhiser, author of the book John Marshall: The Man Who Made the Supreme Court (Basic Books, 2018). Brookhiser is an author and a senior editor of National Review. Below you may find: A link to Brookhiser’s book, […] -
“Symposium: The Life and Career of James Wilson” — Reflections on James Wilson from the Georgetown Journal of Law and Public Policy
In their Winter 2019 edition, the Georgetown Journal of Law and Public Policy published a series of works as part of their symposium on the life and career of Justice James Wilson. William Ewald in his piece “James Wilson and the American Founding” reflected upon Wilson’s early life, his work with the Declaration of Independence, […]