The God of the Declaration
The American Founders and Lincoln believed in a Natural Law and a natural lawgiver at the moral core of the project they brought forth, argues JWI Affiliated Scholar Justin Dyer
Abraham Lincoln
The Declaration’s Substantive Global Appeal
The Declaration of Independence’s unique appeal globally cannot be explained by its formal aspects only
Once More Unto the Breach: Arkes v. Whelan on the Overruling of Roe
In a response to Ed Whelan’s critique of “On Overturning Roe,” Prof. Arkes insists that the moral argument against Roe is the only logical one for judges who believe in the deep wrong of abortion. The pro-life cause rests on objective moral truths, not on value judgments, and as a result does not require judges (as Whelan claims) “to read their own moral convictions into the Constitution.”
Podcast: Conflicts in State Constitutional Law—Who Decides? with Judge Jeff Sutton
Join the Anchoring Truths Podcast presented by the James Wilson Institute for a lively hour discussing conflicts in state constitutional law with Judge Jeff Sutton of the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Topics also include judicial review, administrative law, and why lawyers do not sue in state court as often as federal …
Our Divided House: A Review of Charles Kesler’s Crisis of Two Constitution
Prof. Gerard Bradley reviews “Crisis of Two Constitutions” by Charles Kesler, analyzing whether we’ve hit our Weimar moment or not.
1857: The Dred Scott Case
The National Association of Scholars hosted a webinar event between JWI Founder and Director Prof. Hadley Arkes, Prof. Mark Graber of the University of Maryland, and Prof. David Tubbs of King’s College. Moderated by Prof. Vincent Philip Munoz of the University of Notre Dame, Prof. Arkes, Prof. Graber, and Prof. Tubbs discuss the historical, jurisprudential, …
The Case for the Unconstitutionality of Abortion
Josh Hammer explores the debate amongst conservatives on whether the legality of abortion should be returned to the states, or if it should be outlawed nationwide. He astutely notes that if pro-lifers adopt the latter position, they will stretch the Overton window in their favor.
The Biden Administration Is Playing Dumb—and Into a Trap
JWI Deputy Director Garrett Snedeker argues that the Biden administration’s decision to extend the eviction moratorium in defiance of the Supreme Court provides precedent for a future Republican administration to buck the Court to vindicate conservative priorities.
The American Regime and Its Moral Ground
Hadley Arkes traces the moral ground of the American Regime to the Declaration of Independence’s conception of natural law, which frames rights in the context of an enduring human nature.
Should the Declaration Inform the Constitution?: Hadley Arkes and Lee Strang Debate Transcript
JWI Founder and Director Hadley Arkes and Toledo Law School Professor Lee Strang debate whether or not originalism should utilize the natural law substance of the Declaration of Independence to answer constitutional law questions.
