Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor

Sandra Day O’Connor is a retired associate justice of the United States Supreme Court. She was the first woman to be appointed to the Court and was the first female Majority leader in the Arizona Senate. She grew up near the Arizona-New Mexico border on her family’s Lazy B Ranch. Before participating in a discussion on the women of the American West, she revealed which of her colleagues on the bench told the best stories and the best way to separate a farm animal from the pack in the What …

What Do Gay Marriage and Obamacare Have in Common?

Two Cases Before the Supreme Court Point to the Long-Running Battle Between States Rights and Federal Authority

I don’t drink champagne, but if the Supreme Court strikes down state bans on gay marriages this month, I might pop open a bottle in celebration. As a newspaper editorial …

Was Fred Phelps Democracy’s Necessary Evil?

You Don’t Have to Like the Man or the Westboro Baptist Church, But Their Antics Strengthened the First Amendment for All of Us

It has been written that the safeguards of liberty have often been forged in controversies involving not very nice people. If that is true—and the facts support the premise—then the …

What the Devil Is Up With People Who Believe in Satan?

When Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia Professed a Belief In Lucifer, It Caused Gasps and Titters Among the Elite. But His Point Should Be Taken Seriously.

When U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia recently told New York magazine that he believed in the devil, some readers seemed to view this statement as further proof that Scalia …

Go Ahead: Keep Your Marriage Secret

In California, Confidential Marriage Is a Proud 135-Year-Old Tradition, and the Supreme Court’s Prop 8 Ruling Might Give It New Relevance

Pssst. Wanna know a secret?

I’m going to let you in on confidential marriage, an only-in-California concoction that is little known but deeply relevant to today’s debates about marriage.

Confidential marriage is …

Legal Journalist-Turned-Scholar Henry Weinstein

A Mustard Maven With a Conscience

Henry Weinstein is a professor of law and literary journalism at UC Irvine; previously, he spent 30 years as a Los Angeles Times reporter, much of it covering legal affairs …