A Case of Supreme Temptation
by Jack Wade Nowlin
The close of the Supreme Court’s 1999–2000 term raised the perennial question of the degree to which the Court, the presumptive guardian of our constitutional liberties, itself may constitute a threat to those liberties. Indeed, can we safely rely on the Court to issue fair and dispassionate rulings about constitutional meaning, or is the nation’s highest tribunal with disturbing frequency simply a “lawless” institution, one whose decisions are driven more by ideology and partisanship than by constitutional principle? A series of decisions handed down in the last few days of the Court’s most recent term—in the face of strong dissenting opinion—lends additional credence to the latter view.
Four Hostile Decisions
THIS ARTICLE ONLY AVAILABLE TO SUBSCRIBERS.
FOR QUICK ACCESS:
A Journal of Mere Christianity—Delivered to Your Door
- Essays on theology, culture, and the Church
- Contributors from across the Christian traditions
Six print issues (one year) of Touchstone, plus full online access and PDF downloads for only $39.95.
Get a one-year full-access subscription to the Touchstone online archives for only $19.95.
bulk subscriptions
Order Touchstone subscriptions in bulk and save $10 per sub! Each subscription includes 6 issues of Touchstone plus full online access to touchstonemag.com—including archives, videos, and pdf downloads of recent issues for only $29.95 each! Great for churches or study groups.
Transactions will be processed on a secure server.
more from the online archives
32.6—November/December 2019
The Year of Our Lord 1943: Christian Humanism in an Age of Crisis by Alan Jacobs by Jesse Russell
calling all readers
Please Donate
"There are magazines worth reading but few worth saving . . . Touchstone is just such a magazine."
—Alice von Hildebrand
"Here we do not concede one square millimeter of territory to falsehood, folly, contemporary sentimentality, or fashion. We speak the truth, and let God be our judge. . . . Touchstone is the one committedly Christian conservative journal."
—Anthony Esolen, Touchstone senior editor
