Lawrence Goldstone - Independent Voter News

The Court and Public Opinion

The current term of the Supreme Court promises to be one of the most pivotal in decades. Although abortion has received most of the attention, with both the new Texas

By Lawrence Goldstone

/ November 2, 2021

Painted Into Trump Corner

The mood among Democrats these days seems to oscillate between panic and despair. The Biden administration, which billed itself as restoring competence and order to the political process, not only

By Lawrence Goldstone

/ October 4, 2021

No Order in the Court

On September 6, 2021, Alan Braid, a seventy-six-year-old OBGYN in San Antonio, Texas, performed an abortion on a woman in her first trimester. A few years ago, this procedure would

By Lawrence Goldstone

/ September 22, 2021

A Court of the Inquisition

On September 1, the United States Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, refused to prevent new, draconian Texas abortion legislation from taking effect. The Court’s tentative acceptance of that

By Lawrence Goldstone

/ September 14, 2021

Patriotism and Freedom: The Two Most Misused Terms In US Politics

Two of the most frequently used words in right-wing America, “freedom” and “Constitution,” are also among the most misused. Many American conservatives believe the “Constitution” gives them the “freedom” to

By Lawrence Goldstone

/ August 24, 2021

Patriotism and Freedom: The Two Most Misused Terms In US Politics

The Census, Power Politics, and Slavery

Thanks to the Constitutionally-mandated periodic census, the House of Representatives will look a lot different for the 2022 midterm elections, with some states gaining seats, some losing them, and partisan

By Lawrence Goldstone

/ August 12, 2021

Beyond Abortion: Putting The Latest Challenge to Roe v Wade Into Context

On July 22, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch made national news by filing a brief with the Supreme Court asking the justices to overturn Roe v. Wade, claiming the 1973

By Lawrence Goldstone

/ August 2, 2021

Beyond Abortion: Putting The Latest Challenge to Roe v Wade Into Context

America... The Monarchy

In June 1776, a group of American colonists met in Philadelphia to declare their independence from Great Britain and the end of George III’s dominion over what would become

By Lawrence Goldstone

/ July 27, 2021

We Have To Break the Long History of Minority Rule in the US

It has become popular on the Left to ascribe Republicans’ recent attempts to change voting laws as anti-democratic, even potentially criminal. There are those, such as Paul Waldman at the

By Lawrence Goldstone

/ June 7, 2021

We Have To Break the Long History of Minority Rule in the US

A Sad Sequel: Bigotry Against Asian-Americans Is Hardly New

On February 22, the Washington Post reported, “A spate of high-profile assaults on Asian Americans has renewed long-standing criticism from Democrats and civil rights groups that the U.S. government

By Lawrence Goldstone

/ February 25, 2021

A Sad Sequel: Bigotry Against Asian-Americans Is Hardly New

OPINION: Forget Court Packing; We Need to Talk About Limiting Judicial Review

Joe Biden, if he wins the presidency, has promised to create a bipartisan commission to recommend changes to the “out of whack” American court system. The commission’s prime focus

By Lawrence Goldstone

/ October 28, 2020

OPINION: Forget Court Packing; We Need to Talk About Limiting Judicial Review

Judicial review does not appear in the Constitution. As former Justice Antonin Scalia admitted, “The Constitution of the United States nowhere says that the Supreme Court shall be the last word on what the Constitution means…"

By Lawrence Goldstone

/ October 28, 2020