In Employment Division v. Smith (1990), the Supreme Court held that the First Amendment does not afford individuals a right to receive exemptions from neutral and generally applicable laws that incidentally burden their exercise of religion. Although Justice Scalia wrote the majority opinion, the Court’s decision came without any discussion… Read More »
For the last several decades, the primary divide in American constitutional theory has been between those theorists who label themselves as originalists and those who do not. It is widely understood that the side that does not embrace originalism is populated by proponents of a vast array of disparate constitutional… Read More »
“Originalism Is Bunk.” The title seems to promise a polemic. I hope, however, that most readers will find the Article shorter on polemic and longer on analysis than they might have anticipated. My ambition in writing the Article was not to bury originalism but to evaluate it—ideally, with fairness and… Read More »
The Ninth Amendment reads, “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” When I first encountered these words as a student in Larry Tribe’s Constitutional Law class, I was amazed. Here was textual authorization for the protection… Read More »