Patrick M. Garry

Nov 18, 2024 | lawliberty.org | Patrick M. Garry |Democracy. He |Juliana Geran Pilon |John O. McGinnis

The political left lacks any subtlety in its attitudes toward free speech and the First Amendment. Indeed, whenever liberals cite the First Amendment, they inevitably argue for downgrading it from the pinnacle of constitutional provisions. Although the left once stood up for speech rights, now it seems to think of the First Amendment’s protections not as a command, but simply a consideration. The left’s shifting attitudes towards free speech have become blatant in the last five years.

Nov 15, 2024 | rlo.acton.org | Patrick M. Garry

John M. Ellis’ A Short History of Relations Between Peoples: How the World Began to Move Beyond Tribalismis an important book. It defends the values and history of Western civilization underlying the political and economic systems that have produced the prosperous and multifaceted world Westerners currently enjoy. But it is also a controversial book. It rebuts the progressive left’s widespread charges of racism against the historical foundations of the modern Western world.

Sep 17, 2024 | rlo.acton.org | Patrick M. Garry

Historical comparisons rarely offer definitive guides to the present. Such juxtapositions, however, can reveal ways in which conditions from the past persist into the present, thus providing a reminder of the consistency of history. Comparisons can also show how present policies and attitudes may have diverged from valuable beliefs or traditions that should be recovered. The 1924 presidential election presents an illuminating reference for the election about to occur a century later.

Sep 4, 2024 | commongoodmag.com | Patrick M. Garry

Everyone seems to want unity. Everyone seems to see it as the first step to curing the rancorous ills of contemporary society. At the same time, however, almost no one seems to know how to achieve that unity in a world as deeply divided as the one in which we live. In fact, most efforts to unite are doomed to fail. These are efforts that focus on political issues, attempting to convince one sidThe rest is in the pages of Common Good.

Aug 8, 2024 | lawliberty.org | Patrick M. Garry |Democracy. He |Robert G. Natelson |Daniel Buck

President Biden’s recently announced attempt to impose term limits and an ethics code on the Supreme Court comes just three years after his “Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court” flirted with a court-packing proposal that was backed by many in his party. These two instances represent the only significant efforts by the executive branch, aside from Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal court-packing plan, to change the makeup of the Court in response to politically unwanted judicial opinions.