Essays

November 12, 2021

Is it Time to Rethink the School Prayer Cases?

Prof. Francis Beckwith makes the argument for re-opening the question of school prayers in the courts, explaining how this would enable local governments to seek the common good.
November 5, 2021

Sentimental Judgments

Garrett Snedeker reviews "Why the Innocent Plead Guilty and the Guilty Go Free" by Judge Rakoff, analyzing proposed reforms to the criminal justice system.
November 4, 2021

Judge Pryor’s Friendly Fire

Prof. Arkes defends "A Better Originalism" against Judge William Pryor's critique.
October 8, 2021

A Common Law Restoration Serves the Common Good

Josh Hammer responds to Holden Tanner's piece on Conservative judging. He explains how even the Constitution itself orients our jurisprudence towards principles of natural justice.
October 6, 2021

Whelan-Arkes Exchange: Last Round

JWI's Founder and Director Hadley Arkes goes another round with Ed Whelan and discusses the rightful place for moral reasoning in judicial jurisprudence
October 5, 2021

The Dobbs Case and the Strains of Prudence

Prof. Arkes analyzes the arguments at play in the upcoming Dobbs case, and explains that while there are potential outfielders and stockbrokers, there is no such thing as a "potential" human being.
September 30, 2021

A World After Liberalism: Reviewed by Prof. Daniel Mahoney

Prof. Mahoney reviews an account of anti-liberalism and demonstrates the need for faith and reason to guide our nation.
September 27, 2021

The Smith Case, Religious Freedom, and Originalism

Originally published in Public Discourse, Christopher Wolfe discusses the Fulton case and the judge role in interpreting the Free Exercise Clause.
September 20, 2021

Originalism: A Hollow Core?

JWI's Deputy Director Garrett Snedeker discusses Donald Drakeman's new book on Originalism and talks about its strengths and weaknesses.

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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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