The instinct to punish judges for an unpopular or mistaken decision is alive and well and imperiling judicial independence.
Dorothy Samuels
Dorothy Samuels, a former member of the New York Times editorial board, is a senior fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice.
Posted inLaw and Justice
Abortion Access, the Supreme Court, and a Troubling Case of Déjà Vu
Planned Parenthood’s new petition for high court review involves a state restriction on medication abortion nearly identical to one the nation’s top court ruled unconstitutional in 2016.
Posted inLaw and Justice
The Wedding Cake Showdown in the Supreme Court
As the justices take up the Masterpiece Cakeshop case this week, a pithy amicus brief from First Amendment experts unravels the bakery owner’s free speech complaint.
Posted inLaw and Justice
A Baker’s Toxic Recipe for Discrimination
A ruling for the bakery owner in the so-called “cake case” before the Supreme Court could inflict untold harm on gay people, true religious liberty, and civil rights.
Posted inBooks, Arts and Culture
The Trump-Sessions Leak Crackdown
The DOJ’s investigation represents a threat to leakers, whistleblowers, and robust journalism.
Posted inEconomic Policy
No Greatness in Trump’s Call to Kill AmeriCorps
The president’s proposal to defund the nation’s flagship domestic service program is unwise and unpatriotic. Lawmakers should look elsewhere to make cuts.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
New Stirrings in Trump’s Assault on Women’s Equality and Reproductive Freedom
The administration continues to lunge in the wrong direction and to threaten harm to women everywhere.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
100 Days of Harm to Women and Counting
So little time, so much damage to women’s rights and wellbeing
Posted inLaw and Justice
Trump Targets the Legal Services Corporation
Another presidential assault on the courts and poor people—and another critical institution heedlessly threatened.
Posted inLaw and Justice
Neil Gorsuch Must Answer the Questions Merrick Garland Was Denied
Democrats should require Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee to respond to basic questions about his judicial philosophy and views on past cases.