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Quelling the Terrors of a False Religion

It should not be overlooked that the trail to yesterday’s decision in United States v. Windsor began in Canada: “The State of New York recognizes the marriage of New York residents Edith Windsor and Thea Spyer, who wed in Ontario, Canada, in 2007.” But the trail is actually much . . . . Continue Reading »

First Links — 6.27.13

Who’s Next? Pat Archbold, National Catholic Register How to Hobble Religion Ronan McCrea, Aeon Anglican to Receive Ratzinger Prize Cindy Wooden, Catholic Herald A C. S. Lewis Biography, Wretched with Cliches Sam Leith, Guardian Words Are Spilling from the Internet Mic Wright, Telegraph . . . . Continue Reading »

What Anthony Kennedy Didn’t Do Today

I’m working my way through Windsor , and I must say, Anthony Kennedy has never been worse—sophistry, casual matter-of-fact demonization, unclear basis for the decision, vague and repetitive phrasing, and a nauseating pretense of caring oh-so-much about how our federalist tradition . . . . Continue Reading »

What the Majority Did Today

Matthew Franck at NRO provides the best brass-tacks but fair and clear summary of what the two Supreme Court decisions, Windsor v. U.S. and Hollingsworth v. Perry actually did today. Also on NRO is Hadley Arkes’s more alarming interpretation. . . . . Continue Reading »

DOMA, Prop 8 Rulings Could Have Been Worse

Today the Supreme Court wrongly decided both marriage cases, but the decisions were not as bad as they might have been. The Court declined to declare same-sex marriage a fundamental right and left the future of marriage policy for individual states to decide. Justice Kennedy wrote for a 5-4 . . . . Continue Reading »

Smiting Hateful Monsters

I actually think there are reasonable people on both sides of the same-sex marriage debate. Finally, the biggest thing wrong with Kennedy’s opinion is that its unhinged moralism—based as it is on a conception of dignity or personhood that’s has no real constitutional . . . . Continue Reading »

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