The famed “attorney for the damned” proved to be an unprincipled mercenary willing to come out of retirement in 1932 to defend a racist lynch mob because he was broke and needed the money.
History & Culture
The Bonfire of Open Borders
Lionel Shriver’s A Better Life is a cautionary tale—if it is not too late. This essay first appeared in Chronicles on July 8, 2026 (here). Thanks to Real Clear Policy (here), Real Clear Books (here), and City Journal (here)! In his 1987 novel The Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe lampooned 1…
Hawaiian Myths versus Historical Realities
Hawaiian mythology is rich enough without embellishing (or sanitizing) it at the expense of the truth. Thanks to Real Clear History (here) and Ace of Spades HQ (here and here)! I love Hawaii. My wife and I recently returned from a delightful vacation on the Big Island. The weather is near-perfect…
Rage and the Republic
In the face of bourgeois Jacobin challenges, can the American experiment survive the 21st century? This essay originally appeared in Law & Liberty on April 27, 2026 as “Mobocracy in America” (here). Thanks to Power Line, Real Clear Policy (here), Real Clear Books (here), Ruthfully…
Holiday Reading Picks
Law & Liberty collected holiday reading picks from its editorial staff (here). Here is my favorite book from 2024. Thanks to Real Clear Books! Victor Davis Hanson, The End of Everything: American conservatives tend to focus on their nation’s own brief history, as if time began on July …
The “Insurrectionist” Smear
Is conservativism in America tainted by a long-deceased former general few people have ever heard of? It turns out that liberals regard anyone who disagrees with them as “extremists” and, now, “insurrectionists.” This essay originally appeared in Law & Liberty on Novem…
The Conflagration at Waco
Why do so many charismatic cult leaders go off the rails? As Lord Acton warned, “absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This essay originally appeared in Law & Liberty on February 7, 2023 (here). Thanks to Power Line, Instapundit (here), Real Clear Books (here), Real Clear Wire (here), Real…
Our Fractious Discourse
This essay originally appeared in the Daily Times on February 2, 2023 (here). Thanks to the Tennessee Conservative News (here)! There is a common belief, frequently asserted with grave concern, that our public discourse has become overly fractious—that is to say, disagreeable. The implicit prem…
How LGBTQ ‘Anti-Discrimination’ Laws Threaten Our Liberty
What ever happened to the freedom of association? This essay originally appeared in The Spectator World on December 8, 2022 (here). Thanks to the Tennessee Conservative News (here), Real Clear Policy (here), and the Tennessee Star Report (here)! We have all seen the sign, usually in a mom-and-pop…
Revisiting the Last Frontier
Alaska is a magnificent state. Is its untamed, unspoiled splendor an asset or a defect? This essay originally appeared in Law & Liberty on July 25, 2022 (here). Thanks to Power Line and Instapundit (here)! I visited Alaska for the first time four years ago and was impressed enough to write an…