William J. Haun Subscribe

William J. Haun is a lawyer in Washington, D.C.

September 18, 2017|Alexander Bickel, Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire, Free Speech, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Snyder v. Phelps

The Natural Law of Free Speech

The Supreme Court

With Progressives increasingly condoning censorship of conservative views as “hate speech,” conservatives are responding with an increasingly absolutist freedom of speech.

Belloc’s Humane Defense of Personhood and Property

by James Matthew Wilson

Perhaps the memory of that metaphysical right to property informs our fears, and could lead to a restoration of human flourishing.

Bruno Leoni and the Search for Certainty in Law

by Alberto Mingardi

Leoni wanted to advance the concept of the “certainty” of the law beyond the mere verbal precision of statutes to something more profound.

The Sacred Rites of Humanity: A Conversation with Daniel Mahoney

A discussion with Daniel J. Mahoney

Daniel Mahoney discusses his new book The Idol of Our Age and how humanitarianism corrupts politics and religion.

The John Marshall Legacy: A Conversation with Richard Brookhiser

A discussion with Richard Brookhiser

Richard Brookhiser discusses the life and jurisprudence of John Marshall.

Andrew Jackson in Context: A Conversation with Bradley Birzer

A discussion with Bradley J. Birzer

Once considered one of our most consequential presidents, Andrew Jackson's reputation has now fallen on hard times.

Hamilton, Madison, and American Oligarchy: A Conversation with Jay Cost

A discussion with Jay Cost

Jay Cost, author of The Price of Greatness, discusses the political and economic debates between Hamilton and Madison.

Trump’s Norm-Breaking: Real or Imagined?

Trump is trying to faithfully execute his office and, in his own way, to strengthen the Constitution.
by Charles R. Kesler
Let’s Save Liberal Education by Rethinking It

Why not consider the crafts and trades of vocational training, the performing arts, or the service professions part of the liberal arts?
by Lee Trepanier
Two Cheers for Criminal Justice Reform

The so-called "First Step Act" offers some worthy reforms, but nothing that would satisfy progressive fantasies.
by Barry Latzer
How George H.W. Bush Gave Us Donald Trump

Bush never caught on to the fact that a growing number of Republican voters expected Republican politicians actually to change the rules.
by James R. Rogers
Civility and the Challenge of Ordered Liberty

The virtue of civility ebbs and flows in public life, but Stephen Carter gives us reasons to work to maintain it as a standard of good citizenship.
by Alexandra Hudson

Law and Liberty’s focus is on the content, status, and development of law in the context of republican and limited government and the ways that liberty and law and law and liberty mutually reinforce the other. This site brings together serious debate, commentary, essays, book reviews, interviews, and educational material in a commitment to the first principles of law in a free society. Law and Liberty considers a range of foundational and contemporary legal issues, legal philosophy, and pedagogy.

William J. Haun Subscribe

About