Roe: Considering the Counterfactual

At The New York Times, Linda Greenhouse notices an under-appreciated aspect of the Supreme Court’s decision to take up a Mississippi case that it could use to overturn or restrict Roe. v. Wade. She writes that legislators in pro-life states, who have been multiplying restrictions on abortion to test Roe, will now be accountable for them: Ever since the 2010 election ushered new Republican majorities into state legislatures, politicians there have been able to impose increasingly severe abortion restrictions without consequence, knowing that the lower courts would enjoin the laws before they took effect and save the people’s representatives from … Continue reading Roe: Considering the Counterfactual

Standing and Situational Constitutionalism

Linda Greenhouse has this column at The New York Times this week, aptly observing the significance of Chief Justice John Roberts’ solitary dissent in Uzuegbunam v. Preczewski—but also illustrating exactly the kind of situational constitutionalism he sought to avoid. The case was brought by a plaintiff who was prohibited by Georgia Gwinnett College, a public institution, from sharing his religious views outside, then even inside, a designated free speech area. Once challenged, the college changed the policy, rendering the dispute moot. But the plaintiffs sought a dollar of damages, raising the question of whether they retained standing to sue even after getting what they wanted. … Continue reading Standing and Situational Constitutionalism