Politics
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Judge O’Connor, Obamacare, and First Things: The Judge Cites Prof. Arkes While Striking Down Obamacare
Reed O’Connor has been quite an interesting federal district court judge in Texas, and this last week, in Texas v. U.S., he managed to stir ripples in our politics and law as he moved, in effect, to strike down Obamacare. The Republican Congress had not repealed the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare), but it did […] -
“Natural Law and Democracy: The Philosophy of James Wilson” — Professor Roberta Bayer
Prof. Roberta Bayer offers an excellent summary of James Wilson’s views on where democracy’s legitimacy comes from in a piece at the Library of Law and Liberty. Wilson believed that democracy was premised on a capacity to have a knowledge of justice. This knowledge of justice was found through reason and conscience, both of which […] -
AUDIO: “Bureaucracy in America: The Administrative State and American Constitutionalism” An Interview with Prof. Joseph Postell
In late July 2018, JWI’s Deputy Director Garrett Snedeker and Intern Gregory Mill shared a discussion with Prof. Joseph Postell, author of the book Bureuacracy in America: The Administrative State and American Constitutionalism (University of Missouri Press, 2017). Prof. Postell is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. Postell has written […] -
“Democrats and Media Clamor for a Background Investigation—But the Wrong One”–Professor Hadley Arkes in National Review
With the testimonies of Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Prof. Christine Blasey Ford looming, Prof. Hadley Arkes makes the case that Prof. Ford’s story warrants close scrutiny, including rigorous cross-examinations. Prof. Arkes demonstrates the absurdity and immorality of abstaining from fully investigating Dr. Ford’s background. Judge Kavanaugh’s background has been investigated by the FBI numerous times […] -
AUDIO: Prof. Hadley Arkes on “The Eric Metaxas Show”
On August 8th, Prof. Hadley Arkes appeared on The Eric Metaxas Show to discuss a variety of subjects with Mr. Metaxas including the Kavanaugh hearing, the state of American jurisprudence on abortion, natural law and moral reasoning, and Prof. Arkes’s earliest days at Amherst. You’re encouraged to listen to the full interview below. -
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 […]