Chief Justice Marshall: Unpretentious, Modest and Humble
Those Americans in the early years of the republic who idolized the elegant, regal and graceful bearing of English judges, could be...
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WE THE PEOPLE
Column by Dr. David Adler
Funded by the 'Why It Matters: Civic and Electoral Participation' initiative, administered by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
HumanitiesND
- Aug 18
- 4 min
John Marshall: The Great Chief Justice Transforms the Court
Two centuries after his service to the United States as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, virtually no one doubts John Marshall’s...
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HumanitiesND
- Aug 18
- 4 min
Justice James Wilson: Leading Constitutional Architect
It was altogether fitting that James Wilson, second in importance only to James Madison as an architect of the Constitution, would be...
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HumanitiesND
- Aug 18
- 4 min
John Jay: First Chief Justice, Diplomat, Founding Era Giant
When the newly elected President George Washington turned his attention to the historic opportunity of nominating citizens to fill seats...
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HumanitiesND
- Aug 18
- 4 min
Judicial Profiles to Better Understand the Supreme Court
We citizens know a lot about our presidents—their background, philosophy and character—and sometimes more than we care to know. The same...
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HumanitiesND
- Jun 22
- 4 min
Trump Trial Tests the Framers’ Constitution and the Rule of Law
“What are the implications of the trial of Donald Trump for the Constitution, presidential power and the rule of law?” a reader asks,...
44 views
HumanitiesND
- Jun 1
- 4 min
Reader Asks: How Do We Rein in Supreme Court Justices?
A reader recently wrote to ask a question on the minds of many Americans: “If the courts check the other branches of government, who...
32 views
HumanitiesND
- Jun 1
- 4 min
Is Posting of Ten Commandments in Schools Constitutional?
The continued revival of interest among state legislatures in posting the Ten Commandments in public schools may present to the U.S....
2 views
HumanitiesND
- May 31
- 4 min
Presidential Power, the 14th Amendment and the Public Debt
The debt ceiling standoff between President Joe Biden and House Republicans has illuminated the Public Debt Clause of the 14th Amendment,...
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HumanitiesND
- May 8
- 4 min
Church and State: The Court Prohibits Religious Tests for Office
Delegates to the Constitutional Convention, as part of their commitment to separating church from state, unanimously adopted a clause in...
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HumanitiesND
- May 8
- 4 min
Justice Chase’s Impeachment and Judicial Independence
In its first and only impeachment trial of a Supreme Court Justice, the U.S. Senate in 1805 acquitted Samuel Chase of charges against...
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HumanitiesND
- May 8
- 4 min
Applying Impeachment Clause to Supreme Court Justices
National conversations surrounding the remote possibility of impeaching Justice Clarence Thomas for accepting –and failing to...
30 views
HumanitiesND
- May 8
- 4 min
Trump’s Case: When Novel Theories Become Legal Principles
Defendant Donald J. Trump and his supporters have assailed the 34-count felony indictment of the former president brought by the...
8 views
HumanitiesND
- Mar 23
- 4 min
Vulnerable to Indictment, Trump’s Cases Subject to the Law
Former President Donald Trump has said he expects to be indicted by a Manhattan grand jury any day now. Although widely anticipated,...
3 views
HumanitiesND
- Mar 23
- 4 min
Court Declares a Right to Contraceptives for Unmarried Individuals
In 1965, in the landmark case of Griswold v. Connecticut, the U.S. Supreme Court, for the first time in our nation’s history, invoked the...
33 views
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