Justice Ginsburg’s value as a role model for the hundreds of women who’ve followed her into the law and onto judicial benches across the country has been well appreciated and will, rightfully, make up the bulk of her legacy, along with the ways she helped shape the law to support under-represented groups in court. But […] More
“By a fraudulent use of the Constitution which has made judges irremovable,” he added, “they have multiplied useless judges merely to strengthen their phalanx.” Rather than let the Federalist Party’s rear-guard action stand, Jefferson and his allies reversed it following a bitter debate in Congress. They destroyed the newly created circuit courts, revoked tenure from […] More
Second, Moderna and Pfizer acknowledge their vaccines appear to induce side effects that are similar to the symptoms of mild Covid-19. In Pfizer’s early phase trial, more than half of the vaccinated participants experienced headache, muscle pain and chills. If the vaccines ultimately provide no benefit beyond a reduced risk of mild Covid-19, they could […] More
The religious right has made no secret of its expectation that President Trump will choose a socially conservative successor to the seat held by Ruth Bader Ginsburg. And the president will likely deliver, further confirming the power of the religious right. The conservative legal movement, which at one time was libertarian in spirit, has been […] More
To the Editor: Clerking for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 2009 and 2010 was a thrilling experience and the honor of a lifetime. It was also challenging. We worked long hours, faced difficult decisions, and struggled to channel the justice’s commanding voice and meet her exacting standards. But it was also challenging for other reasons. […] More
HAMBURG, Germany — A Turkish friend told me the other day about his summer travels to his home region in southeastern Anatolia, a particularly poverty-stricken part of Turkey. Under the rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, things have improved. My friend’s cousin showed off his new Mercedes-Benz, bragging about the state aid his family received […] More
This brings us to the most important step: Democrats should commit to the structural reforms necessary to undo the damage Republicans have wrought. Republicans were able to block Judge Merrick Garland and install a conservative majority on the Supreme Court despite representing less than half of the population. The Senate overrepresents white conservatives, while minority […] More
In a floor speech in July, Senator Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri, issued an ultimatum on future Supreme Court fights. “I will vote only for those Supreme Court nominees who have explicitly acknowledged that Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided,” Hawley said. He would require on-the-record evidence that the next Republican nominee “understands Roe to […] More
Four years before this summer of unrest in New York City, I attended the protests after Alton Sterling and Philando Castile were shot and killed by police officers that July. I remember a day spent drifting among a crowd of anguished protesters in Washington Square Park. I remember that the dissertation I was finishing, about […] More
Can you sum up the past six months in six words? In a recent Op-Ed, Larry Smith, the creator of the Six Word Memoirs project, observes that times of extremes — “our toughest and most joyous moments” — are often ideal for his brand of succinct storytelling. His collection of pandemic-inspired memoirs, gathered from writers […] More
If you or someone you care about are among the more than 50 million Americans suffering from pre-existing medical conditions, you should be aware that the stakes in this year’s election go beyond abstract things like, say, the survival of American democracy. They’re also personal. If Donald Trump is re-elected, you will lose the protection […] More
She was a friend in all seasons, and I would forget who she was, because she would remind me that friendship mattered most. When she first met my fiancée, after knowing me as a single person for 15 years, she looked at me and said, “It’s about time!” When the pandemic forced a postponement of […] More
