The preamble to the U.S. Constitution is aspirational, but what if we acknowledged our "original sins," as South Africa's post-apartheid document does?
Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Representative's six siblings campaign for his opponent; historical fallacy of originalism; data on why some among working class vote Republican
Distinctly Catholic: In Self-Evident Truths, Richard Brown's examination of how religious equality manifested itself in the years after the Revolution is especially fascinating.
Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Catholic reformers of questionable credentials; the Supreme Court and the Kavanaugh hearings; racist robocalls in Florida.
Distinctly Catholic: Originalism as understood today in academic law reviews is not as originalist as it pretended to be in the 1970s and as it still purports to be in the public square.
Distinctly Catholic: Kevin Walsh chided me for not knowing what I was talking about when it came to originalism. I plead guilty, and examine two essays he commended for a more nuanced originalism.
Young Voices: Like David Souter's weighing of multiple constitutional goods, we are sometimes forced to choose between two fine choices or two less-than-ideal options.
Distinctly Catholic: I do not see how a constitutional originalist can object to being asked any particular question, and none that would amount to a "religious test."