The American story is most truthfully seen as a patchwork quilt—a living tapestry in which countless threads, each distinct in color, texture, and origin, come together. Like a quilt, these pieces maintain their individuality while contributing to a unified, enduring design that is unmistakably our own. Presenting this enduring mosaic is difficult as it calls […]
On February 28th, Donald Trump announced that the United States would once again go to war in the Middle East, this time against Iran. Administration officials and sympathetic commentators have framed the conflict as limited and short-lived, offering familiar assurances of “weeks, not months.” Yet early signals suggest otherwise. A month into the conflict, Trump […]
As the country prepares for its 250th birthday, there are no shortage of celebratory events to attend. In my hometown of Philadelphia, for example, there have been historical reenactments and other events celebrating revolutionary milestones throughout the year. In Princeton, we have access to opportunities that can enrich our experience of the anniversary. Walking our […]
For a 40-year period between 1984 and 2024, our administrative state became its own legislature and judiciary because of an erroneous judicial doctrine known as Chevron deference. This piece examines what Chevron deference is, how it was used to expand executive power, and why it came to an end. What is Chevron Deference? Chevron deference […]
Wokeness, campus protests, and the instruction of leftist ideas within universities do not erode civil discourse or violate free speech norms. Or so President Christopher Eisgruber argues in his new book, Terms of Respect. Overall, I agree with Eisgruber’s assessment, but there are some conceptual nuances that I will offer in order to refine his […]
The Daily Princetonian recently published an opinion piece entitled: “Humanities lag behind STEM in AI policy. They must catch up.” Its author laments the fact that A.B. students, specifically those studying the humanities, use AI much less frequently than B.S.E. students. He argues that AI will improve learning outcomes and that the humanities’ refusal to […]
The Iran war is not the only conflict occupying the Trump administration’s attention these days; another major front is Trump’s war against the Ivy League. It has been the administration’s longest battle to date, as they continue to fire shots at academia across the bow. The Department of War, led by Princeton alumnus Secretary of […]
Every few years, Washington restages the same drama. The United States government approaches its statutory debt limit, negotiations stall, markets grow nervous, and politicians declare that the country will soon default on its financial obligations. Cable news airs countdown clocks to the so-called “X-date,” when the Treasury will run out of borrowing authority. Eventually, after […]
“I walk with Plato in my pocket, but I proceed into the world with my eyes wide shut.” In high school, I wrote this phrase in a journal, yet the sentiment persists in haunting any ponderance of my university studies. Our books are caskets that carry dead words of the past. Opening them, we may […]
Article I of our Constitution creates the legislative branch and entrusts it with powers critical to our government’s operation. It grants Congress the power to make laws, declare war, control the purse, and remove executive and judicial branch members through impeachment and trial in the Senate. The Founders intentionally assigned these powers to the legislature […]
In George Washington’s undelivered first draft of his first inaugural address, he answered the accusation that he was running for political office to enrich himself. “Divine Providence hath not seen fit,” he wrote, “that my blood should be transmitted or my name perpetuated by the endearing, though sometimes seducing channel of immediate offspring.” In explaining […]
In the 250 years since we declared independence from Great Britain, our nation has stood for the principles of democracy, equality, and freedom. The denial of representation enraged the first Americans, who belonged to a long tradition of representative government. Through its system of delegated and enumerated powers, the Constitution imposes significant limitations on the […]
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