Articles tagged as textualism
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“A Jurisprudential Red Pill: Part I” — Evelyn Blacklock
Evelyn Blacklock reviews Prof. Adrian Vermeule's "Common Good Constitutionalism," which argues that both originalism and living constitutionalism have abandoned the classical legal tradition. -
“‘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 […] -
“Recovering a Conservative State Legal Theory” — Jeffrey Bristol in Anchoring Truths and Law & Liberty
Responding to Holden Tanner and Jesse Merriam, Jeffrey Bristol argues that state courts limit themselves by adopting the same sort of originalism as federal courts–and that Erie, far from wrenching common law reasoning from the states, actually returned state courts to power. Some excerpts: “It may seem surprising to say that originalism ignores state power. […] -
“A Common Law Restoration Serves the Common Good” — Josh Hammer at Anchoring Truths and Law & Liberty
In a symposium in collaboration with Law & Liberty, Josh Hammer responds to Holden Tanner, arguing that conservative judges should look to the Preamble for natural law principles, rather than relying on the unmoored authority of human reason. Such a strategy would better promote common-good originalism in a post-Christian age. Some excerpts: Edmund Burke on […] -
“Contra Historicist Originalism” — Josh Hammer
Responding to Professor Stephanie Barclay, Josh Hammer argues for a right-of-center method of jurisprudence–one which goes beyond positivism or “strict constructionism” by joining originalism and moral principles. Some excerpts from the piece: “In a recent Deseret Magazine essay, Notre Dame Law School professor Stephanie Barclay rebuts the trite and tiresome progressive objection that the constitutional interpretive methodology […] -
The Imperative of a Boring Judiciary: Eric Dean Hageman ’16 in Law & Liberty
In an essay as part of our ongoing collaboration with Law & Liberty, Eric Hageman, James Wilson Fellowship Class of ’16, adds his analysis of the current legal and judicial landscape to the current discussion that has been sparked by “A Better Originalism.” Hageman agrees that the current legal culture is rife with the “sophistry” […] -
“A Better Originalism” – Arkes and Snedeker in The American Mind
A new statement of purpose published in The American Mind, written by Prof. Hadley Arkes, Garrett Snedeker, Joshua Hammer, and Matthew Peterson calls upon conservatives to adopt an originalism of moral substance. The authors write: “We are faced with a moment of political crisis. The Biden administration seeks to fundamentally transform the United States by […] -
“A Better Originalism” — Arkes, Hammer, Peterson, and Snedeker in The American Mind
Responding to Bostock v. Clayton County, Hadley Arkes, Joshua Hammer, Matthew Peterson, and Garrett Snedeker appeal to conservatives for an originalism of moral substance and outline four common good-centric principles for legal interpretation. Some excerpts: We stand together to oppose the timid, positivist “Originalism” currently on offer, which ignores both our broader Anglo-American tradition and […] -
“Standing Against Falsehood” — Justin Dyer at Anchoring Truths and Law & Liberty
In 2021, JWI begins a collaborative partnership with the Liberty Fund’s online journal, Law & Liberty. Led by its Director, Richard Reinsch, Law & Liberty has become one of the premier journals on the Right for writing on jurisprudence, politics, and the culture. Prof. Hadley Arkes opened our first symposium in February 2021 with “Letter to a […]