New information has now confirmed what many feared from the start: Alex Pretti was disarmed before he was shot—multiple times—by federal agents in Minneapolis. Whatever uncertainties once clouded this tragedy, that fact changes the moral terrain entirely. This is no longer a case about split-second judgment under imminent threat. It is a case about what happens after the threat is...

Not long ago, I stopped watching the national news. I told myself I was stepping away from the noise and the churn for some peace of mind. But reading a daily paper doesn’t guarantee a complete sense of calm; it simply delivers the chaos in longer form: page after page of anger, violence, grievance, retribution, and my-way-or-the-highway governance. It is...

“There’s a difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.” United States Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said that. But it was not part of any written Supreme Court opinion or legal case. While it’s been widely quoted as Stewart’s judicial philosophy, there is no record of it in any official Supreme Court...

I happened across Frances Perkins while searching files at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library. She was the first woman in U.S. history to serve in a cabinet post, as Secretary of Labor under the most consequential president of the era. She shined brightest, not in seeking headlines, but in advancing the rights and well-being of ordinary Americans. Born in...

It is the First Amendment that allows President Donald Trump to repeatedly say he won the 2020 election—when, in fact, he did not. It is the First Amendment that permitted Donald Trump to call those who attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021, “patriots.” That same Amendment allowed the president to say COVID-19 would “disappear, like a miracle.” It is...

That title is not hyperbole —it’s a reflection of a reality too many dismiss as over the top. Democracy depends on reason—on the willingness of citizens and leaders alike to engage honestly, argue respectfully, and govern responsibly. It’s the democracy I studied in high school and college, reading The Federalist Papers, Alexis de Tocqueville, and Thomas Paine. It’s a system...

“Honesty and Integrity. Our employees adhere to the highest standards of ethical behavior, mindful that, as public servants, we must work to earn the trust of, and inspire confidence in, the public we serve”—From the Statement of Values, The Department of Justice. There’s an unspoken rule in American courtrooms, one that keeps justice moving: judges take the government at its...

If I had my way, every candidate who wins a primary election for public office—from Congress to the presidency—would be required to pass through a civic and ethical checkpoint before taking the oath. First, they would be required to read the Constitution—actually read it—and then pass a test on its key components. Not just the Bill of Rights, but the...

Once celebrated as the thoughtful author of Hillbilly Elegy, Vance’s rise to the vice presidency is a lesson in political transformation—and not for the better. I liked Vance 1.0—who once spoke with empathy and moral clarity about the struggles of working-class Americans. But the Vance–who jumped 4 points to 5.0—serves as the willing enabler of a presidency marked by grievance,...

It may seem obvious, but it couldn’t be more urgent: we need about a thousand Mr. Smiths in Washington right now. We need the idealism, yes, but we also need the pragmatism. We need leaders with the courage and character to stand up for what’s right. We need leaders who can turn vision into action and build a better, more...