Apr 30
What Ever Happened to Compromise?
UPDATE: Amy Gutmann and Dennis Thompson discussed compromise and Congressional gridlock with Andrea Mitchell at the National Constitution Center on May 2. Listen to the full podcast: Is compromise a dirty word? Speaker John Boehner spoke for many politicians running for office when he declared “I reject the word.” In the past, political leaders in… [Continue Reading]
Apr 10
Constitution Check: Would an elected Supreme Court get more respect?
Too often in American politics, a critic of something the Supreme Court has done or that it might do makes a complaint about “unelected judges” overturning the work of elected legislatures.
Apr 9
Federalism in 1868 and 2012
Like the issue of civil rights in the 1860s and ‘70s, healthcare in 2012 has become the terrain upon which the battle over centralized power is being fought.
Apr 4
The secret life of the Commerce Clause
The want of a central authority over commercial affairs was one of the major weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, and a central animating purpose behind the Constitutional Convention that convened in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787.
Mar 27
The Court tees up the health mandate
Amid sure signs that the Supreme Court Justices are deeply interested in the constitutionality of the new health care law’s key sections, and definite signs that they have been studying up for the task, they moved on Monday to get beyond the preliminaries and get set for Tuesday’s crucial two-hour hearing.
