Republicanism

The Citizenship Act of 2026

A Constitutional Response to the Supreme Court Earlier this month, I wrote that the Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. Barbara wouldn’t stand the test of time. Justice Thomas said as much in his dissent. The majority took the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, stripped it of its original meaning, and turned it into something approaching an automatic territorial grant: the very thing the Reconstruction framers never intended. The dissents from Thomas, Alito, and Gorsuch laid bare the flaws. Justice Kavanaugh, while joining the judgment against the Executive Order, quietly left the door open for Congress. That door is now…

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The Birthright Citizenship Decision

How the Majority Rewrote the Fourteenth Amendment and Why Congress Must Now Act The Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. Barbara ranks among the most consequential rulings of the Term. In a 6-3 opinion by Chief Justice Roberts, the Court struck down President Trump’s Executive Order limiting birthright citizenship for children of parents who are unlawfully present or only temporarily in the United States. The majority held that the Fourteenth Amendment’s Citizenship Clause demands automatic citizenship for virtually every child born on American soil, no matter their parents’ status. On the surface, the opinion gleams with scholarly polish: historical citations to…

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Why Mike Johnson’s Stand Matters

The House Fidelity to Framers’ Design In the raging battle over DHS funding and border enforcement, Speaker Mike Johnson is not merely holding a tough line; he is leading the House of Representatives to fulfill its precise constitutional purpose: acting as the energetic, popularly accountable check against a Senate that the 17th Amendment has nationalized and detached from the states the Framers intended it to protect. The fresh events of this weekend have laid the drama bare for anyone willing to see it. In a rare overnight session, the Senate under Majority Leader John Thune passed a unanimous consent deal that…

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Your Blue Slip is Showing

The Blue Slip: Last Bastion or Final Betrayal of the Framers’ Senate? A Follow-Up to “Restore the Republican Soul of the Senate” In the sweltering summer of 1787, as the delegates to the Constitutional Convention debated the bones of the new republic in Philadelphia, one institution emerged as the deliberate brake on the wheels of government: the Senate. It was not born of compromise alone but of a profound suspicion of unchecked majorities. James Madison, scribbling notes in the margins of his copy of Montesquieu, envisioned an upper house that would "refine and enlarge the public views" while tethering them to…

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Restore the Republican Soul of the Senate

Repeal the 17th Amendment and Raise the Filibuster Threshold In an era where the U.S. Senate resembles a perpetual partisan battlefield more than the deliberative body envisioned by the Founders, it's time for bold restoration. The chamber, once a bastion of federalism and compromise, has devolved into a populist arena dominated by national fundraising machines and agenda-driven elites. This transformation has not only amplified gridlock but also eroded the core principles of our constitutional republic, where power is balanced between the federal government and the states. To reclaim its republican essence-prioritizing states' sovereignty, minority protections, and thoughtful governance-we must repeal the…

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Wednesday Wraps

As part of an effort to deliver content and keep my writing wits sharp, I'm going to post a daily series of Quick Takes. Some may carry more weight and be more serious than others.  Wednesday Wraps is a perhaps not so Quick Take. Tariffs The elephant in the room today was the brThe older I get, the more I realize how we make idols out of everything, including ideas.  Lately I've been thinking of my own views and how they have changed the past thirty years of relative adulthood.  I say relative because at the core of every man is…

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Sen. Zell Miller on Repealing the 17th Amendment

Zell Bryan Miller (February 24, 1932 – March 23, 2018) was an American politician and author known for his extensive career in Georgia politics and his evolving political stance. Born in Young Harris, Georgia, he was raised by a single mother in a rural mountain community after his father’s death. Miller earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history from the University of Georgia and served as a U.S. Marine in the 1950s. His political career began as a Democrat in the Georgia State Senate (1961–1965), followed by roles as lieutenant governor (1975–1991) and governor of Georgia (1991–1999). As governor, he spearheaded…

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