Tag: politics

ISSUE #38 | OCT 2022, politics

Not Your Parents’ Rule of Law: Marcusian Anarcho-tyranny and the Supplanting of Equal Application of the Law

On April 29, 1992, Los Angeles was on the brink of chaos: four Los Angeles Police Department officers who had been videotaped beating Rodney King, a black man, had been acquitted. Mayor Tom Bradley held a press conference, where he said in part “I am here to tell this jury, ‘No. No, our eyes did not deceive us…what we saw was a crime.’” Within an … Continue reading Not Your Parents’ Rule of Law: Marcusian Anarcho-tyranny and the Supplanting of Equal Application of the Law

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culture, ISSUE #31 | MAR 2021

Metaphysical, Not Political

One of the best-known works of John Rawls, a Harvard scholar known for his prolific political writings, especially in the field of criminal justice, is entitled: Justice as Fairness: Political, not Metaphysical. In this work, Rawls presents a famous analogy which he refers to as the “veil of ignorance.”He argues that, in juridical procedure—such as the trial of a criminal—one must deliberately put aside all … Continue reading Metaphysical, Not Political

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ISSUE #31 | DEC 2020, politics

Originalism: An Introduction

In recent weeks, the judicial philosophy of originalism has been in the news thanks to the confirmation hearings of Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Many discussions of originalism, however, have caricatured its understanding of the judicial role. We hope to address these misconceptions by clearly defining originalism.  Simply put, originalism insists that judges interpret the Constitution based on the original public meaning of its text. Although … Continue reading Originalism: An Introduction

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ISSUE #30 | OCT 2020, politics

America on the Precipice: Why 2020 Truly is a Seminal Election

“This is the most important election of your lives!” This claim has been repeated almost ad nauseam, to the point of being nearly meaningless. How many times have you heard this in the span of the average election cycle? Perhaps even more revealing is the number of elections you have heard this said about. Because of its frequent usage, this claim likely elicits a skeptical … Continue reading America on the Precipice: Why 2020 Truly is a Seminal Election

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