… The debate over Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump’s nominee to replace Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court, is likely to be dominated by discussion about abortion as the court, if Kavanaugh is confirmed, would have five solidly conservative justices, which may mean it’s willing to strike down Roe v. Wade. […] Read more »
Small states are getting a much bigger say in who gets on Supreme Court
The Supreme Court confirmation battle that President Donald Trump triggered with his nomination of Brett Kavanaugh on Monday night may shine a harsh spotlight on the Senate’s historic bias in favor of small states. Kavanaugh could be confirmed by a narrow Senate Republican majority rooted in the nation’s smaller states […] Read more »
If the Supreme Court is Nakedly Political, Can It Be Just?
President Trump was always going to pick a conservative for the Supreme Court. The only question has been whether to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy with a “business conservative” or a “religious conservative.” No one seriously thought that he would consider a moderate, a liberal or an ideologically ambiguous replacement. The […] Read more »
Three Ways of Governing as a Minority Party
The American political system includes no guarantees that the party with the most votes or the most registrants will win the most elections. The Constitution allows for a number of situations in which the minority party can rule. This, however, can create legitimacy problems in a country that fancies itself […] Read more »
2018 may have the largest gender gap on record
… President Donald Trump has a history of making vulgar remarks about women (such as in the infamous Access Hollywood tape). On Thursday, he poked fun at the #MeToo movement. Comments like these are why it’s not too surprising that the 2016 presidential election featured the largest gender gap on […] Read more »
‘It’s a Terrible Vote’: Red-State Democrats Face an Agonizing Supreme Court Choice
Democratic senators running for re-election in Trump Country face an agonizing choice over President Trump’s coming Supreme Court nominee: Vote to confirm the pick and risk demoralizing Democratic voters ahead of the midterm elections, or stick with the party and possibly sacrifice their own seats — and any chance at […] Read more »