What Justice Gorsuch Fears
His concurring opinion in the tariffs case may become the Roberts Court’s most influential statement on how to prevent the steady accretion of executive power.
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Apu Bomes / Getty The Founders Would Have Opposed ‘Nationalizing’ Elections
The writers of the Constitution sought an approach that balanced control between the states and the federal government.
Illustration by Akshita Chandra / The Atlantic* The Insurrection Problem
Violence has marred the American constitutional order since the founding. Is it inevitable?
Illustration by Matt Huynh Dikembe Mutombo Believed in the American Idea
The humanitarian and NBA legend was grateful for the freedom he enjoyed, and understood the obligations that came with it.
Takashi Aoyama / Getty The Founders’ Guide to Happiness
Today people think of happiness as something that results from the pursuit of pleasure, but the Constitution’s Framers had other ideas.
Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: Hulton Archive / Getty; ullstein bild / Getty; Universal Images Group / Getty. Elon Musk Is Right That Twitter Should Follow the First Amendment
A long history of free-speech jurisprudence backs him up.
Getty; The Atlantic The Court Loses Its Chief Pragmatist
With the upcoming retirement of Justice Stephen Breyer, the country moves into a more ideologically divided future.
Jewel Samad / AFP / Getty The Whole Point Was to Avoid Mob Violence
The Founders would have been appalled by the attack on the Capitol but not surprised.
The Atlantic What If We Wrote the Constitution Today?
Proposals from libertarian, conservative, and progressive scholars displayed a few striking differences—but also some profound similarities.
The Atlantic RBG’s Life, in Her Own Words
In one of her most revealing interviews, the justice discusses her losses, her struggles, and her hope for the future.
Steve Helber / AP
