Sutherland Institute
-
Solving our civic challenges: A Q&A with Andy Smarick
“Today’s political discourse is misleading us about our state of affairs, making us believe that things are far worse than in fact they are,” says Andy Smarick of the Manhattan Institute. He urges localism, among other things, to reestablish Americans’…
-
A tangle of legislation, executive action, and litigation over abortion
Encouraging legislative lawmaking over judicial lawmaking, as President Dallin H. Oaks did in a recent speech, is a sound prescription. Unfortunately, at present the courts play an outsize role in defining legal guarantees of religious freedom.
-
Civic commitments are an intrinsic part of American national holidays
In our minds, we usually link Thanksgiving and other holidays with the things that are most important – gratitude, family, friends and tradition. But there’s more: Underlying each of our shared national holidays is a civic commitment.
-
Learning about America through primary sources: The 13th-15th amendments to the U.S. Constitution
The 13th, 14th and 15th amendments were enacted during the post-Civil War period known as Reconstruction (1865-1877). Together, they were an attempt to establish and protect Black Americans’ constitutional and civil rights in the post-slavery period.
-
Supreme Court’s power over states was slow to develop
The Supreme Court’s power to invalidate state laws was slow to develop, as shown by what happened after an 1832 ruling that recognized the sovereignty of the Cherokee Nation: The court’s decision was ignored by state and federal officials, whose…
-
Supreme Court update on 4 religious freedom cases
Sutherland’s Bill Duncan updates the four religious freedom cases that he previewed at the beginning of the current Supreme Court term. They are a good illustration of the important role of the court: In deciding which cases to take and…
-
Oversimplification of Virginia election results could hinder student learning
The reaction to Virginia’s recent gubernatorial election is an example of the tendency to oversimplify the interpretation of an election into a basic political narrative. Such oversimplification could hinder curriculum transparency.
-
The politics of vote by mail
Partisan support or opposition to absentee voting over time has varied based on political circumstances. The politics of vote by mail in Utah has been different, but national partisan interests have begun influencing local politics in Utah.
-
The long shadow of Marbury v. Madison reaches to today’s Texas law dispute
Although it is impossible to tell how the judges will rule based on their questions, a number of the questions seem to indicate a concern that the current law is having the effect of dissuading abortion providers while being legally…
-
Build Back Better’s rules could complicate faith-based childcare
While the role of government and the complexity of our economy have increased, the need to ensure protection of religious freedom has not changed.