Essays
Judgment / July 21, 2026
You hear the phrase and it sounds almost noble: Let the people decide. A randomly selected group of ordinary citizens, brought together to deliberate on a...
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Every four years, we go through the ritual. The speeches, the ads, the debates. Then we vote. And then we spend the next several weeks arguing over whether...
Every election cycle, some enterprising politician or pundit revives the outrage machine aimed at the revolving door. A former senator cashes in as a...
Let me state the obvious up front: I am not here to tell you that voters are stupid. That is not the argument, and if that is what you think I am about to...
Every American schoolchild learns that Marbury v. Madison (1803) established judicial review-the power of the Supreme Court to strike down acts of Congress...
Let's be honest: the phrase "states' rights" has become almost useless. Say it in polite company and half the room hears Bull Connor and Jim Crow. The other...
Every election cycle, the same ritual incantation echoes from the left. Citizens United opened the floodgates to corporate money and corrupted our...
Every election cycle, the same ritual plays out. Pundits, academics, and civic organizations clutch their pearls over low voter turnout. They run the...
Every schoolchild learns the standard story. Marbury v. Madison gave the Supreme Court the power of judicial review. John Marshall, in a masterful political...
We call them interest groups. Lobbies. Advocacy organizations. Stakeholders. The terms sound neutral, even admirable, like something out of a civics...