Birthright change would put judges in bind

Bloomberg Opinion October 31, 2018

Trump might unleash a serious embarrassment for the Supreme Court’s self-professed originalists.

Thanks to Justice O’Connor for art of compromise

Bloomberg Opinion October 25, 2018

On issue after issue, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor crafted decisions that fell between the bold rights-expansion of the Warren court liberals and the aggressive, activist rolling-back favored by the swashbuckling conservatives led by Justice Antonin Scalia. (AP file photo)

For nearly a quarter century, she was the definitive swing vote on a court that decided almost all major issues by a 5-4 vote.

Religious freedom isn’t a license to discriminate

Bloomberg Opinion October 24, 2018

A South Carolina foster-care agency has asked the Trump administration to rule that it has a constitutional right to discriminate against non-Protestant and gay parents under the religious-freedom guarantee of the First Amendment.

Supreme court term limits are still a good idea

Bloomberg Opinion October 24, 2018

Were vacancies more common, each would be less valuable, and there would be less reason to spend political and other capital fighting over them.

Elizabeth Warren and the death of genetic privacy

Bloomberg Opinion October 17, 2018

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., announced Monday that she had submitted her DNA to ascertain that she does in fact have Native American ancestry. (AP file photo)

In theory, taking a DNA test to reveal your ancestry is optional. But it’s on its way to becoming obligatory.

GOP toasts to Kavanaugh are simply cruel

Bloomberg Opinion October 12, 2018

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, tweeted a photograph of what was apparently champagne to celebrate to confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. (Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, tweeted a photograph of what was apparently champagne to celebrate to confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. (Twitter image)

Political gloating is normal; mocking human suffering is not

Justices shake hands and go back to work

Bloomberg Opinion October 10, 2018

This courtroom sketch depicts Attorney Brenda G. Bryn, far right standing, speaking in front of, from left, Justice Neil Gorsuch, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice Stephen Breyer, Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Justice Samuel Alito Jr., Justice Elena Kagan and Justice Brett Kavanaugh on Tuesday at the Supreme Court in Washington. Also present as a guest of the court is retired Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy, seated in the lower right hand corner. (Dana Verkouteren via AP)

What was remarkable about Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s first day of public work at the U.S. Supreme Court was … that there was nothing remarkable about it.