The Constitution

A certificate for a volunteer serving in the Union army.

Can the Constitution Save Us? Can the Constitution Save Us?

The Constitution is often invoked as a safeguard for American democracy, but does it more often get in democracy’s way?

Jul 2, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Jedediah Britton-Purdy

Dear Ron Klain: We Need To Talk About Joe

Dear Ron Klain: We Need To Talk About Joe Dear Ron Klain: We Need To Talk About Joe

To preserve President Biden’s legacy, the party has to find another candidate

Jul 1, 2024 / Jeet Heer

United States Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh poses for an official portrait at the Supreme Court building on October 7, 2022.

“Homestyle Fare”: The Supreme Court’s Weird, Ahistorical, Platonic Bribery Jurisprudence “Homestyle Fare”: The Supreme Court’s Weird, Ahistorical, Platonic Bribery Jurisprudence

The Supreme Court’s ruling in Snyder is baffling—so long as we ignore a desire by the justices to minimize the extent of their own corrupt conduct.

Jun 28, 2024 / Zephyr Teachout

Joe Biden and Donald Trump participate in the CNN Presidential Debate at the CNN Studios on June 27, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Trump Was Terrible. But Biden Was Worse. Trump Was Terrible. But Biden Was Worse.

Trump’s lies and unhinged ranting went unchallenged because Biden was incoherent and lost.

Jun 28, 2024 / Jeet Heer

Activists rally outside the US Supreme Court Building before the start of oral arguments in the “United States v. Rahimi” Second Amendment case on Tuesday, November 7, 2023.

The Supreme Court Just Got a Gun Ruling Right—for Completely Bonkers Reasons The Supreme Court Just Got a Gun Ruling Right—for Completely Bonkers Reasons

The court’s Rahimi ruling seems like a victory for gun regulation but is actually an attempt to pave the way for future extreme gun rulings.

Jun 21, 2024 / Elie Mystal

Steve Schwarzman speaking to students

Why Plutocrats Are Rallying to Trump Why Plutocrats Are Rallying to Trump

Civic lessons won’t sway America’s oligarchs. Instead, we need forthright economic populism to bring them to heel.

Jun 10, 2024 / Jeet Heer

Policeman with his gun drawn.

Police Can Be Held Liable for Killing a Dog but Not a Black Person Police Can Be Held Liable for Killing a Dog but Not a Black Person

In back-to-back rulings on when cops should be afforded qualified immunity, an appeals court came to radically different conclusions.

Jun 6, 2024 / Elie Mystal

Aziz Rana

Aziz Rana Wants Us to Stop Worshipping the Constitution Aziz Rana Wants Us to Stop Worshipping the Constitution

A conversation with the legal scholar on why its unusual the Constitution is core to American national identity and his new book The Constitutional Bind.

Jun 3, 2024 / Q&A / Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito.

Samuel Alito’s Opinions Are Just As Upside-Down as His Flag Samuel Alito’s Opinions Are Just As Upside-Down as His Flag

In a majority opinion rubber-stamping South Carolina’s racist congressional map, Alito made it effectively impossible to contest racial gerrymanders.

May 24, 2024 / Elie Mystal

Students holding Palestinian flags and signs walk out of the UMass Amherst commencement ceremony in protest on May 18, 2024, as Chancellor Javier Reyes takes the stage to speak.

The Threat of Democracy on Campus at UMass The Threat of Democracy on Campus at UMass

The real danger posed by the Gaza solidarity encampments is their attack on unfettered autocratic governance by university administrations and wealthy benefactors.

May 21, 2024 / Kevin Young

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