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James Madison: A Great Political Theorist, But Not A Great Lawyer

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Federalist 9 and 10 (Everett Historical/Shutterstock.com).
For all his contributions to the convention, Madison was not put on the Committee on Detail that provided the penultimate draft of our fundamental law.

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Peter Onuf’s Jefferson

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A great historian shows us how much there is still to learn about the nation’s third President.

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Centinel’s Argument Against Bicameralism

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An undated Anti-Federalist Broadside, "Alarm! Alarm! Alarm! A scheme has been discovered," Library of Congress Printed Ephemera Collection; Portfolio 134, Folder 32.
It would be ironic if American politicians were insufficiently ambitious to sustain a system predicated on “ambition counteracting ambition."

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Real Purpose of the Senate: To Check the Actions of the House

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The Old Senate Chamber in the U.S. Capitol (image: Architect of the Capitol)
Senatorial independence is the highest value, said the Founders—more important than the particular interests of the states from which U.S. senators come.

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Why We Need Hume’s Wisdom on Factions

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President Donald Trump at a press conference, April 27, 2018 (Nicole S. Glass/Shutterstock.com).
As long as presidential power grows, so will our obsession with it, and the people who occupy the Oval Office.

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

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

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Americans Don’t Need a Politics Cleanse

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City council meeting in Austin, Texas, February, 2016.
Abandoning politics permanently in the face of conflict precludes us from using persuasion, negotiation, and compromise to resolve our disagreements.

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Madison: Pragmatist, Idealist . . . and Game Theorist?

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Jack Rakove makes a plausible case for Madisonian game theory even as he maintains respect for the Madison who said “justice is the end of government.”

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Objections to Impeachment, Part 1: The Specter of Abuse

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House Judiciary Committee hearings on whether impeachment proceedings should begin against President Bill Clinton October 5, 1998 in Washington, DC (Richard Ellis / Alamy Stock Photo).
Abuse is bound to happen with any government power, but that isn't a real objection against providing the power to impeach federal officials.

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How Originalism Addresses Consequences

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SNEHIT/Adobe Stock Images
Originalism may well include some consideration of consequences, but in a disciplined manner that prevents justices' values from driving the process.

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