Essays

May 19, 2023

Hadley Arkes on "Mere Natural Law," Role of the Judiciary, Debates within Originalism, and the Moral Foundations of the Law—Originalist Angles

Prof. Hadley Arkes sat down for an interview with Originalist Angles to discuss his new book "Mere Natural Law" and the principles of Natural Law that undergird our constitutional order.
May 9, 2023

VIDEO: Judge Janice Rogers Brown, 2023 Leadership & Law Award Remarks

Judge Janice Rogers Brown delivers stirring remarks on the future of the country and the role of the judge upon receiving the 2nd JWI Leadership & Law Award.
March 31, 2023

Why We Cannot Avoid Natural Law in Constitutional Debates

Michael Hayes (JWF '20) analyzes the Court's positions on substantive due process in the key Dobbs decision, and makes clear that try as we might, we never can truly escape from moral reasoning and the Natural Law.
March 24, 2023

My Warm Up for Judge Duncan—and What Next for Stanford?

Hadley Arkes shares his own experience with student protests at Stanford Law and asks how its administration will respond to the next incident.
March 3, 2023

James Wilson and the Nature of Law

Prof. Jonathan Gienapp explains how Wilson's integrated view of law grounds the harmony of law and philosophy that he argued for in the Constitution's ratification debates.
February 24, 2023

James Wilson and "We the People"

Prof. John Mikhail describes the unique role of James Wilson among the Founders as both moral philosopher and legal scholar who shaped our Constitution and our concept of who "We the People" are in the United States.
February 10, 2023

Is Conservative Jurisprudence Renouncing Moral Reasoning?

Prof. Arkes argues that moral judgments, rather than belonging to legislators instead of judges, are an essential - indeed inescapable - part of the work of a judge, especially in recognizing the most basic facts that bear on their judgments.
February 10, 2023

Is Conservative Jurisprudence Renouncing Moral Reasoning?

Prof. Arkes argues that moral judgments, rather than belonging to legislators instead of judges, are an essential - indeed inescapable - part of the work of a judge, especially in recognizing the most basic facts that bear on their judgments.
February 3, 2023

In Search of Original Meaning -- the Religion Clauses: Part II

In Part II, Assistant Editor Ted Hirt concludes with an evaluation of Phillip Munoz's understanding of the Constitution's religious clauses.

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Anchoring Truths
Anchoring Truths is a James Wilson Institute project
The James Wilson Institute’s Mission is to restore to a new generation of lawyers, judges, and citizens the understanding of the American Founders about the first principles of our law and the moral grounds of their own rights.
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