Stones, Maps, and Misplaced Confidence

Redistricting lawsuits are once again multiplying like rabbits in springtime, gathering at the steps of the Supreme Court as though the justices were oracles perched atop a modern Mount Olympus. Democrats are filing challenges against Republican-drawn maps from coast to coast, Republicans are defending their cartographic handiwork with equal zeal, and legal analysts are circling…

Truth Before Feelings: Why Passports Should Reflect Biological Reality

There’s a lot of heat — and very little light — surrounding the Supreme Court’s recent decision allowing President Trump’s administration to enforce a policy requiring passports to reflect a person’s biological sex, not self-identified gender. Predictably, the talking heads went into overdrive, accusing the Court and the administration of cruelty, discrimination, and “erasing” transgender…

The Federal Reserve Soap Opera: Supreme Court Edition

Well, folks, I called it, and I mean exactly called it. Back in my September 18 installment of The Federal Reserve Soap Opera, I said, “If I had to make an educated guess, the Supreme Court may be inclined to give Lisa Cook a short-term reprieve.” And lo and behold, that’s precisely what they did.…

IEEPA or IEEP-Ain’t? The Supreme Court to Weigh Trump’s Tariffs

Earlier this year, President Trump invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to slap broad tariffs on imports from multiple countries. His reasoning was tied to what he declared as “emergencies”: drug trafficking, illegal immigration, and foreign nations playing unfair with U.S. trade. The logic was simple: if other countries were exploiting loopholes or…

You’re Fired: Should Presidents Have More Power to Say It?

President Trump brought his favorite Apprentice line with him to the Oval Office and he’s been tossing it around Washington like it’s confetti at a New Year’s party. In recent news, we’ve got Maurene Comey (yep, James Comey’s daughter) suing the Justice Department after losing her job. But the real headliner? The Supreme Court stepping…

The Federal Reserve Soap Opera: Appeals Court Edition

If you thought the Trump–Lisa Cook showdown at the Federal Reserve couldn’t get any more like a binge-worthy political thriller, think again. Forget Netflix; this saga is unfolding live, with more cliffhangers than a House of Cards marathon and just enough legal drama to make even Judge Judy grab some popcorn. Last week’s episode? A…

Reflecting on the Supreme Court’s ICE Raids Decision

On Monday, the Supreme Court delivered a 6–3 decision through its emergency docket, striking down limits that had been placed on immigration raids in Los Angeles and across parts of Southern California. A lower court had put those restrictions in place to keep Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from relying too heavily on things like…

The Courtroom Drama Over Rebecca Slaughter’s Job

On Tuesday, September 2, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a narrow 2–1 decision ordering that Rebecca Kelly Slaughter—a Democratic commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) whom President Trump had dismissed earlier this year—be reinstated without delay. Now, the judges didn’t pluck this out of thin air. They leaned on a bedrock case…