Due Deference

Over at the League, Mark Thompson (an actual lawyer!) and I published a pretty interesting dialogue on judicial legitimacy, cultural change, and originalism in the wake of the Iowa gay marriage ruling:
The courts have a certain amount of judicial capital – i.e. public trust in the courts as an institution. This gives them the credibility [...]

Neutral Zones

Here’s an intemperate comment from Peter Hitchens:
“If I never again had to read or write a word about homosexuals, I would be very happy. I really don’t want to know what other people do in their bedrooms. But these days they really, really want us all to know. And, more important, they insist that we [...]

Shorter Al Sharpton

My ethical framework is the only legitimate arbiter of church-based political activism.

Ceasefire!

Speaking of Andrew Sullivan, his latest on gay marriage is quite good:
I have nothing against the voluntary and peaceful activities of any religious group, and regard these organizations as some of the greatest strengths of America. The idea that gay people somehow want to persecute these churches, that we’re out to get you, and hurt [...]

Apocalypse Now

Wendy Sullivan thinks society’s impending collapse is self-evident. This isn’t an uncommon sentiment among social conservatives, but I think it’s worth noting that things are never quite as bad as they seem. Here, for example, is a good summary of a Contentions article from a few years back on so-called “leading social indicators” – crime, [...]

Thoughts on Gay Marriage

I briefly skimmed the Ladyblog’s debate over gay marriage, and I wasn’t impressed with the “con” side of the argument. Here’s Mollie Hemingway:
What happened with the California Supreme Court ruling this year was a redefinition of marriage as an institution. Government, it is worth remembering, didn’t create marriage. Marriage is a universal public institution that [...]