My reporting and writing in my first year at the Prospect was focused primarily on the judiciary, law, and politics, along with a review of an important book by perhaps the country’s most acclaimed writer on race, for good measure. One running theme was the Supreme Court’s emergence, into full view, as one of the most important institutional actors in our national politics.
“The Truth About the Comstock Act”
My first piece for the Prospect, which lays out some of what’s to come in the battle over abortion access and women’s reproductive rights writ large.
“America’s Judicial Divisions”
The confluence (or perhaps collision) of extreme polarization and lifetime-tenured judges—a rare feature (or perhaps bug) in government, globally speaking—will continue to reverberate, likely for decades to come.
“Angela Alsobrooks Shows Up”
I covered Alsobrooks’s campaign as she darted all around Maryland, including to my hometown, in the final stretch of her campaign against former Gov. Larry Hogan. At the time, there was no telling how the race might turn out; as of now, Alsobrooks is Maryland’s first Black senator and the third Black woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate.
“Loaded Up With Junk”
A broad and deep look at “junk fees,” which now affect every area of our lives. The main character of the story was surprisingly candid about his legacy as a pioneer of price-gouging, and about the goals of airlines and other large companies that charge hidden fees.
“DEI and the GOP”
Go back and rewatch the Republican Party’s 2024 convention to get a sense of what’s to come in 2025, in the second Trump administration. It’s all there.
“Anti-Abortion Activists Pushed Amarillo to Help Save the Mifepristone Case”
I picked up this scoop while reporting on the piece mentioned above, on America’s judicial divisions. My main source, in a moment of candid frustration, revealed the lengths to which he and other anti-abortion activists are willing to go to realize their goals.
“The Supreme Court Is Ready to Look Past the January 6th Attack”
When the Supreme Court ruled that Trump and other presidents have broad immunity from prosecution, some commentators remarked that it was a shocking and unexpected decision, even for this Court. I solemnly referred them to this piece, written shortly after oral arguments.
“The Kingmakers”
All in all, the Supreme Court’s 2023 term was rather clarifying about governmental and political power, and how it is exercised in the United States.
“Palestine, Writing, and Everything Else”
Ta-Nehisi Coates’s The Message will likely make it into English and writing curriculums at some high schools and colleges—not just because of his stature, but because of Coates’s beautiful, concise exposition on the art of writing itself. I made the unusual decision to include commentary on other reviews by major publications, due to the unusual fact that most of them had a single-minded focus on Coates’s essay about the Israeli-Palestine conflict.
