As we approach the 4th of July with all its patriotic celebrations, it is worth adding to the list of American accomplishments the creation of hyphenated ethnics: the Italian-, Irish-, Jewish-, Mexican-, Chinese-, etc.- American. The immigrant experience in the United States has entailed making both sides of the hyphen. […] Read more »
Support for gay marriage hits high after ruling
A record majority of Americans approve of same-sex marriage in the wake of two landmark Supreme Court decisions, a USA TODAY poll finds. But the high court’s rulings that struck down provisions of the Voting Rights Act and tightened the rules on affirmative action aren’t in sync with the public’s […] Read more »
Public Divided over Same-Sex Marriage Rulings
The public is divided over last week’s Supreme Court rulings on same-sex marriage: 45% approve of the court’s decisions, while 40% disapprove. The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center conducted June 27-30 among 1,003 adults, finds that most Americans are aware of the ruling and its implications. Two-thirds […] Read more »
Race and voting after the Voting Rights Act: What you need to know
Last Tuesday, a narrow Supreme Court majority struck down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act. … Most observers are skeptical that Congress has the will to craft a new formula, despite the apparent support of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.). … Any revisiting of this formula has to take […] Read more »
What if Marriage Equality Is Loving Instead of Roe?
… The fact that Windsor and Perry leave a two-tiered legal regime in place for most gay couples begs an even bigger question: why didn’t the Court simply establish marriage equality as the law of the land? The five justices making up the Court’s majority in Windsor clearly empathize with […] Read more »
As a Long-Term Political Issue, Gay Marriage Will Be More Like Abortion than Integration
… When people discuss the inexorable rise of support for gay marriage, they talk about it like racial integration. The supporters of Jim Crowe [sic] were routed: it became impossible to publicly support segregation, and the opposition eventually died or flipped. But there’s another possibility: that gay marriage is somewhat […] Read more »