Category: Society

Gallup: Over 80 Percent of Americans Support Voter ID and Proof of Citizenship Laws

This week, I wrote about polls that show the public is not buying the apocalyptic predictions of the imminent death of democracy unless Kamala Harris is elected president. Now, a new poll shatters another main talking point of pundits and the press. Democratic candidates, including Vice President Harris, have denounced voter identification laws as “Jim Crow 2.0” attacks on voters. A majority of voters have long supported these laws. According to a new Gallup poll, that majority is now a supermajority. Continue reading “Gallup: Over 80 Percent of Americans Support Voter ID and Proof of Citizenship Laws”

Colorado Supreme Court Dismisses Another Lawsuit Against Masterpiece Cakeshop

 

In prior columns, academic articles, and my book, The Indispensable Right, I discuss the never-ending litigation targeting Jack Phillips, the Christian baker who declined to make cakes that violated his religious beliefs. Phillips continues to be the subject of continuing lawsuits despite the Supreme Court upholding his right to decline to make expressive products for ceremonies or celebrations that he finds immoral. Now the Colorado Supreme Court has dismissed an action brought by a transgender lawyer against the cake shop and its owner. Continue reading “Colorado Supreme Court Dismisses Another Lawsuit Against Masterpiece Cakeshop”

Teaching Joy: L.A. School District Opts for “Educational Enjoyment” Over Standardized Tests

It appears that the Harris-Walz campaign to embrace “joy” has taken hold among educators in L.A. The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) voted 4-3 to allow 10 schools to opt out of standardized tests and test preparation beginning in the 2025-26 school year. LAUSD President Jackie Goldberg declared the move was a blow to “corporate America” and would restore the “enjoyment of education.” Continue reading “Teaching Joy: L.A. School District Opts for “Educational Enjoyment” Over Standardized Tests”

Transgender or Intersex? Confusion Reigns Over the Gender Status of Two Olympic Boxers

On Saturday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued a surprising correction after claiming for a week that Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting were actually born women and have Differences in Sexual Development (DSD), a range of rare conditions in which a person’s genitalia do not necessarily match with their chromosomes or hormone levels. In this weekend’s column, I cited that IOC claim that Khelif is not a transgender athlete. Yet, there remains considerable confusion on how the IOC and the boxing governing body is framing this issue and the question of gender. Continue reading “Transgender or Intersex? Confusion Reigns Over the Gender Status of Two Olympic Boxers”

Here is an Excerpt From The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage

The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage is about to hit the shelves around the country. The pre-ordered copies of the first edition will be mailed in days with a formal release date of June 18th. I wanted to thank everyone who has pre-ordered the book and the generous comments of reviewers.

The book has been 30 years in the making. The book explores our struggle with free speech and why we continue to grapple with the meaning of this core, defining right. It does so in part through the stories of courageous figures who refused to yield to the demands of others to be silent, even at the risk of their own lives. The book seeks to reexamine the essence of this right and how, after a brief moment of clarity at our founding, we abandoned its true foundation as a natural or autonomous right. Many agree with Justice Louis Brandeis that free speech is indispensable but not why it is indispensable. That lack of proper foundation has left the right vulnerable to continual tradeoffs and contractions, particularly in what is now arguably the most dangerous anti-free speech period in our history.

Here is an excerpt from the book for those interested in obtaining a copy:

Continue reading “Here is an Excerpt From The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage”

Hopping Mad: Easter Becomes the Latest Flash Point in American Politics

It often seems like there is nothing left today that is not a battleground over our political and social differences. We can now add Easter. The Biden White House triggered a firestorm by picking Good Friday to announce that Easter Sunday will now be the “Transgender Day of Visibility.” At the same time, families objected to regulations on Easter egg designs, barring children from including any religious imagery or references on this religious holiday.  There are even objections to the use of eggs at the annual White House egg roll.

Continue reading “Hopping Mad: Easter Becomes the Latest Flash Point in American Politics”

Washington Post Reporter Dismisses Shoplifting Stories as the “Panic” of “a Sticky-Fingered Nation Built on Stolen Land”

Washington Post writer Maura Judkis is under fire this week for a column in which she mocks shoplifting stories as the “moral panic” of a nation built on “stolen land.” It is reminiscent of those who excused rioting in past summers “as an expression of power” and demanded that the media refer to looters as “protesters.” Now, the Washington Post is suggesting that it may be just desserts for a nation of colonizers and enslavers. Continue reading “Washington Post Reporter Dismisses Shoplifting Stories as the “Panic” of “a Sticky-Fingered Nation Built on Stolen Land””

What’s the Beef with “Cultivated Meat”? Florida Moves Toward Putting Cattle Before Capitalism

Florida this month may be forcing the question of whether the people prefer cattle or capitalism. A bill in the state would ban lab-grown meat, an effort supported by beef suppliers who want to slow the production and demand for the alternative product. The alleged “ethical and health concerns” remain speculative and unclear. As Adam Smith noted “this is one of those cases in which the imagination is baffled by the facts.”

Continue reading “What’s the Beef with “Cultivated Meat”? Florida Moves Toward Putting Cattle Before Capitalism”

“A Short Time Ago in a Galaxy Not So Far Away”… Disney was Sued by an Actress over Free Speech

We have been covering the backlash against Disney over its social and political agenda as well as the recent loss in its fight against the state of Florida. Now the company is facing a new lawsuit supported by Elon Musk that alleges that it fired actress Gina Carano over conservative views expressed on X. The complaint below makes some interesting comparisons in how liberals have been allowed to make analogous statements in the House of Mouse while conservatives are given the chop. Continue reading ““A Short Time Ago in a Galaxy Not So Far Away”… Disney was Sued by an Actress over Free Speech”

Open Borders and Closed Courts: How the Supreme Court Laid the Seeds for the Immigration Crisis

Below is my column in The Hill on the worsening situation at the Southern border and how the Supreme Court laid the seeds for this crisis over a decade ago. The courts have left few options for either the states or Congress in compelling the enforcement of federal law.

Here is the column: Continue reading “Open Borders and Closed Courts: How the Supreme Court Laid the Seeds for the Immigration Crisis”

Florida Moves to Bar Transgender Identity on Driver’s Licenses

Sample Florida License

A move by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles could present a long-awaited test case on transgender identity.  The Department is  reportedly moving to bar people from listing their transgender identity for their gender on Florida driver’s licenses. The rule could be challenged and force a court to rule on the constitutional protections afforded to sexual identity. Continue reading “Florida Moves to Bar Transgender Identity on Driver’s Licenses”

California’s New Reparations Legislation Would Restore Affirmative Action in Education

The California legislature is now moving toward implementing a series of reparation proposals after years of debate. The bills notably do not include the most talked about item: financial reparations. After years of batting around figures as high as $5 million per recipient, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) recently balked at the cost. It is not clear if voters will see this as a bait-and-switch given the building expectation of huge cash awards. However, buried in one of the items in the slew of benefits for African-Americans is the restoration of affirmative action in education. Continue reading “California’s New Reparations Legislation Would Restore Affirmative Action in Education”

Res ipsa loquitur – The thing itself speaks