Supreme Court curbs the COVID police

The most memorable opinion was written by Justice Gorsuch. In joining the majority, he reminded us that “Government is not free to disregard the First Amendment in times of crisis.”

Three New Supreme Court Cases Show in Some Areas, the Constitution No Longer Matters

Note: This article originally appeared at CNS News. An earlier version included unauthorized editing and should be disregarded. Three recent Supreme Court decisions reveal in the area of personal rights, most of the justices are applying rules unrelated to the U.S. Constitution. In two of the cases, the majority refused to protect rights expressly laid […]

Antonin Scalia, RIP

  Justice Antonin Scalia was one of the most eloquent opinion writers in the history of the United States Supreme Court–perhaps the greatest of all. His dissents may have been the most powerful ever written. Justice Scalia was more than an outstanding lawyer: He was an perceptive social commentator. In tribute, I reproduce below his […]

Town of Greece Case Returns the Establishment Clause To Its Original Meaning

Last week I reported on Justice Thomas’ citation of my work in his concurring opinion in Town of Greece v. Galloway, a widely-discussed decision on the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. This week, I’ll put the decision in context. The meaning of the Establishment Clause (“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of […]

Rob Natelson Cited Again at Supreme Court—This Time in a Religion Case

I’m pleased to report that this past week the brilliant Justice Clarence Thomas cited my work on the Necessary and Proper Clause in his concurring opinion in Town of Greece v. Galloway, an Establishment Clause case that received wide publicity. This was the thirteenth citation in the third Supreme Court case in the past 11 […]

Can Treaties Override the Constitution? An Issue Posed By Bond v. United States

One of the most common questions posed to me when I discuss the Constitution on talk radio is “Can a treaty override the Constitution?” The question has arisen particularly in view of the pending Supreme Court case of Bond v. United States. In that case, Congress is claiming a power under the Treaty Clause that […]

Contraceptives and Catholic hospitals: The primary issue is Obamacare, not the First Amendment

Does the mandate forcing Catholic hospitals to offer abortifacients and contraception violate the First Amendment? The surprising answer is: Probably not. True, there are serious moral and political issues inherent in requiring religious institutions to offer “treatments” they find theologically offensive. But, despite the claims of many Catholic and conservative commentators, the U.S. Department of […]