Understanding the Constitution: Strict Construction, Textualism, and Originalism
Reporters and opinion writers often classify Supreme Court justices as “originalists,” “textualists,” or “strict constructionists.” And they often misuse those terms. For example, a Dec. 9 column in Slate treated all three terms as synonymous. That’s entirely wrong....
The Values in the Constitution
The Declaration of Independence expressed a common American creed: All are born equal before God and the law, God bestows humans with natural rights, some of these rights are unalienable (untransferable), it’s the purpose of government to secure them, and if a...
Understanding the Constitution: The 14th Amendment Part II
Last month’s installment covered the first three parts of Section 1 of the 14th Amendment—the Citizenship Clause, Privileges or Immunities Clause, and Due Process Clause. This installment addresses the remainder of Section 1 as well as Sections 2 through 5....