Politics
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Podcast: Nate Hochman on “What Comes After the Religious Right?”
In this episode, Garrett Snedeker joins talented young journalist Nate Hochman to discuss his recent article, “What Comes After the Religious Right?” The New York Times featured this article in its Sunday Section in early June of 2022. “What Comes After the Religious Right?” is widely applauded for its detailed descriptions on the debate on the future of conservatism […] -
“Hunt down the Supreme Court leaker” — Josh Hammer in The Spectator World
In “Hunt down the Supreme Court leaker,” 2021 James Wilson Fellow Josh Hammer discusses the leak of Justice Samuel Alito’s draft opinion for Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. He explains that, while the decision will likely help end abortion in America, no one knows who leaked Roberts’ opinion. If no one identifies the leaker, […] -
“A Post-Roe Legislative Agenda for Congress” — Josh Craddock in Public Discourse
Josh Craddock, a 2019 James Wilson Fellow, introduces a strategy for pro-life congressmen to follow after the overturn of Roe v. Wade. He establishes that Congress’ definition of personhood lies at the root of the abortion issue and must include unborn children. Craddock then argues that Congressmen must preserve the definition of personhood from the […] -
“The Conservative Legal Movement at the Edge of Schism” — Hadley Arkes in Public Discourse
Hadley Arkes elaborates upon Josh Craddock’s vision of the pro-life movement after Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health. He unpacks how the decision will impact the strategies that must be taken up at the State and Federal levels. Further Prof. Arkes outlines how Congress could take modest first steps to protect unborn life around the nation, […] -
“‘It’s Good (Not) to be the King’: Qualified Praise for Michael McConnell” — Garrett Snedeker
Anchoring Truths co-founder Garrett Snedeker offers qualified praise for Prof. Michael McConnell’s recent book on executive power under the Constitution. While McConnell argues convincingly for public meaning originalism, he implicitly reaffirms judicial supremacy over interpretive disputes between the legislative and the executive branches. “McConnell’s most significant contribution to the scholarly literature is his thorough evaluation of Article II with a […] -
“Once More Unto the Breach” — Hadley Arkes
In a response to Ed Whelan’s critique of “On Overturning Roe,” Prof. Arkes insists that the moral argument against Roe is the only logical one for judges who believe in the deep wrong of abortion. The pro-life cause rests on objective moral truths, not on value judgments, and as a result does not require judges […] -
“Justice Byron White and Abortion” — Hadley Arkes in The Catholic Thing
Responding to Richard Doerflinger’s critique of “Waiting for Dobbs,” Prof. Arkes asserts that conservative justices could successfully outlaw most abortions by returning to Justice White’s standard: only abort to save the mother’s life. At the same time, however, White did the pro-life cause a lasting disservice by focusing not on the rights of unborn babies […] -
“The Smith Case, Religious Freedom, and Originalism” — Christopher Wolfe in Public Discourse
Responding to the Fulton decision, Christopher Wolfe argues that conservative judges who wish to uphold originalism should not overturn Smith. Some excerpts: “The Smith opinion was written by Justice Antonin Scalia, the greatest twentieth-century Supreme Court originalist—maybe the ‘re-founder’ of originalism on the Court. It is surprising, and perhaps ominous, that the newly ‘conservative’ Court in 2021 […] -
“When ‘Matter’ Really Matters” — Jesse Merriam
Jesse Merriam argues that Engel and Schempp are here to stay because the “matter” of modern-day society has corrupted the “form” of American jurisprudence. Rather than attempting to overturn these cases, conservative legal scholars and judges should learn how to make Founding ideas work in the twenty-first century. Some excerpts: “Incorporation of the Establishment Clause…means […] -
“States, Courts, and Common-Good Conservatism” — Holden Tanner
Holden Tanner continues his dialogue with Josh Hammer and Jesse Merriam, arguing that to reform American jurisprudence conservatives need a new synthesis of the natural law tradition and the Antifederalist vision of state power. Some excerpts: “Hammer is correct that abstract human reason alone cannot restore conservative jurisprudence—careful attention to our history and traditions as […]