The Justices Are Telling Us What They Think About Roe v. Wade
A majority on the Supreme Court appears ready to strike down the landmark decision—but they’re not prepared for the ensuing havoc.
The Battle For The Constitution
A special project on the constitutional debates in American life, in partnership with the National Constitution Center
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This work was commissioned, produced, and edited by The Atlantic's editorial staff. Support for this work was provided in part by the organizations listed here.
Support for this project was provided by the Madison Initiative of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
This Court Has Abandoned the Most Essential Element in American Democracy: Voters
Two recent decisions capture perfectly just how distorted the Court’s approach is.
The Court’s Voting-Rights Decision Was Worse Than People Think
The conservative majority’s opinion has declared that voter fraud, not racial discrimination, is a threat to the American system of representation.
Hate-Crime Laws Don’t Work as Their Supporters Intended
Prosecutors aren’t charging suspects with hate crimes, even in clear-cut cases.
The Next Major Challenge to the Affordable Care Act
The law’s opponents have a good chance of winning their next showdown, though it won’t threaten the law as a whole.
America’s ‘Great Chief Justice’ Was an Unrepentant Slaveholder
John Marshall not only owned people; he owned many of them, and aggressively bought them when he could.
The Question of Who Counts
When courts consider the prospect of excluding noncitizens from representation, they should bear in mind the country’s past.
Originalism, Divided
The theory has not provided the clarity some of its early proponents had hoped it would.
The Abortion Fight Has Never Been About Just Roe v. Wade
Anti-abortion-rights activists have turned their arguments away from protecting democracy and toward maximizing protection for fetal life.
The Country Is On the Cusp of a New Era
America is inching closer to a possibility it has never seen before: the indictment and trial of a former president.