John Roberts Dismantled the ‘Crown Jewel’ of the Civil-Rights Movement John Roberts Dismantled the ‘Crown Jewel’ of the Civil-Rights Movement
The Supreme Court said that times have changed. So why were 180 restrictive voting laws passed after it gutted the Voting Rights Act?
Sep 24, 2015 / Feature / Theodore M. Shaw
It Just Got a Lot Harder for Americans to Have Their Day in Court It Just Got a Lot Harder for Americans to Have Their Day in Court
By rewriting the rules for civil complaints, the Supreme Court denied access to poor and middle-class people—and handed a big gift to corporate interests.
Sep 24, 2015 / Feature / Arthur R. Miller
The Many Sins of ‘Citizens United’ The Many Sins of ‘Citizens United’
In order to get the ruling they wanted, the conservative justices had to ignore an extensive record on political corruption.
Sep 24, 2015 / Feature / Senator Sheldon Whitehouse
Is the Death Penalty Unconstitutional? Is the Death Penalty Unconstitutional?
Following a controversial ruling over lethal injections, Justice Breyer suggested that capital punishment may violate the 8th Amendment. It’s time to bring that case to court.
Sep 24, 2015 / Feature / George H. Kendall
![Crosstown commute: From 1978 to 1999, a busing program helped improve the racial mix in Seattle’s public schools. (Credit: Museum of History & Industry, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection [2000.107])](https://www.thenation.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/busing_img.jpg)
Parents Tried to Desegregate Their Schools. The Roberts Court Said No. Parents Tried to Desegregate Their Schools. The Roberts Court Said No.
The conservative majority rewrote decades of equal protection law in the name of a fictional color-blind Constitution.
Sep 24, 2015 / Feature / William Yeomans
The Case Against the Roberts Court The Case Against the Roberts Court
In the decade since John Roberts was appointed chief justice, the Supreme Court has favored the powerful at the expense of everyone else.
Sep 23, 2015 / Feature / Nan Aron and Kyle C. Barry
The Second Amendment Was Never Meant to Protect an Individual’s Right to a Gun The Second Amendment Was Never Meant to Protect an Individual’s Right to a Gun
How the Supreme Court upended the well-established meaning of the Second Amendment.
Sep 23, 2015 / Feature / Dorothy Samuels
Kim Davis Kim Davis
The Rowan County clerk, Kim Davis, Believes that Jesus came to save us, And her beliefs she would betray OK’ing marriage that is gay. The judge said, when he heard her tale, Just d…
Sep 10, 2015 / Column / Calvin Trillin
Rays of Light in the Shadow of Dark Money Rays of Light in the Shadow of Dark Money
Amid the onslaught of anonymous political donations, some grassroots activists are gearing up for a counteroffensive. Here are five promising strategies for 2016 and beyond.
Aug 27, 2015 / Alyssa Katz
August 26, 1920: The 19th Amendment Goes Into Effect, Granting Women the Vote August 26, 1920: The 19th Amendment Goes Into Effect, Granting Women the Vote
“The votes of women cast intelligently in the struggle against the present sick economic order may make considerable difference.”
Aug 26, 2015 / Richard Kreitner