In Part One of this essay, I argued that the Supreme Court’s opinion in United States v. Rahimi set the stage for lawyers and judges to incorporate natural law principles into their reasoning. In Rahimi, the Court appealed to the “principles underlying the Second Amendment” in order to ascertain the scope of its protections. Our …
Alex MacDonald, a DC-based labor lawyer, touches on the historical roots of the right to work, the right’s connection with natural-law principles, and its return to modern jurisprudence. Informed by JWI Co-Director Hadley Arkes’s Mere Natural Law, Alex examines how that return could transform modern labor law, especially the concept of exclusive representation. This episode, …
Video Recordings of the Norton Lectures Delivered by JWI Co-Director Prof. Hadley Arkes at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, October 8-9, 2024. Lecture I: The Enduring Rediscovery: The Polis as a Moral Association Lecture II: On Aristotle and Political Science as the “Architectonic Science” Lecture III: The American Founding and Natural Theology – And a …
“Man was born free yet he is everywhere in chains.” (Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 1762) Part One of this essay endeavored to sketch a framework, rooted in Natural Law, around which individuals may pursue ultimate meaning. Part Two addresses questions of existence, of God, of personal identity, and of meaning. Personal Identity Ever since their primordial exile …
“In the middle of the journey of life, I came to myself within a dark wood where the straight-way was lost.” (Alighieri Dante, 1265 – 1321) Reflecting on his life, the lonely individual comes to realize he is cast into a complex and bewildering universe. He finds himself in a quandary, facing an irrepressible tension …
Join host Garrett Snedeker on this episode of the Anchoring Truths Podcast for an exciting discussion with author Brad Littlejohn, Ph.D., about his new book Called to Freedom: Retrieving Christian Liberty in an Age of License. The conversation explored conflicting definitions of liberty, the issue of expressive individualism, and misperceptions of the freedom secured by …
JWI Affiliated Scholar & Professor of Philosophy Frank Beckwith confronts a troubling trend among some legal scholars who, in the aftermath of the Dobbs decision, have constructed and advocated for a right to abortion rooted in religious liberty. Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade and Casey in Dobbs, an increasing number of scholars argue …
Delivered on November 1, 2024, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., we bring you the remarks of Professor Gerry Bradley from the Tragedy of “Progressive” Prosecution. Since George Floyd’s death on May 25, 2020, the U.S. has undergone a significant reevaluation of its criminal justice system and has moved towards a more “progressive” …
Join host Garrett Snedeker and appellate litigator Edward “Ed” Wenger to discuss a recent decision by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals that allowed limits on gun magazine capacity within the nation’s capital. The court affirmed a lower court’s opinion that “extra large capacity magazines” could be prohibited within city limits, but Judge Justin Walker …
Reviewing Allen C. Guelzo, Our Ancient Faith – Lincoln, Democracy, and the American Experiment (Alfred A. Knopf, 2024) and Harold Holzer, Brought Forth On This Continent – Abraham Lincoln And American Immigration (Dutton, 2024) The character, career and enduring legacy of our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, continue to fascinate and inspire both scholars and the …
