Supreme Court Archives | Page 3 of 38 | Washington Monthly

Wong Kim Ark of the 1898 birthright citizenship case

Law and Justice

Birthright Citizenship and the Making of Citizens

by Allen C. Guelzo March 31, 2026March 31, 2026

Grave Echos: Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, pictured here, wrote the Supreme Court’s 1857 Dred Scott decision, which denied Black Americans citizenship; the Court’s decision in Trump v. Barbara could again create a form of hereditary legal inferiority in America.

Law and Justice

Birthright Citizenship: Supreme Court Could Create an Exploitable Noncitizen Class

by Garrett Epps March 30, 2026March 29, 2026

Major Questions: In striking down Trump’s tariffs, three conservative justices, including Chief Justice John Roberts, endorsed the “major questions doctrine,” which could signal trouble for Trump’s plan to overhaul the federal civil service. Pictured here, President Trump greets Roberts as Trump arrived to address a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, March 4, 2025.

Law and Justice

How the Supreme Court’s Tariff Ruling Could Save the Civil Service

by Peter M. Shane March 18, 2026March 16, 2026

Newspaper front pages in London, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026 after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested and held for hours by British police on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to his links to Jeffrey Epstein.

Law and Justice

England Respects the Rule of Law. Why Don’t We?

by James D. Zirin February 26, 2026February 26, 2026

Trump Tariffs: President Donald Trump arrives to speak with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Feb. 20, 2026, in Washington.

Trump’s Dangerous Tariff Addiction

by Robert J. Shapiro February 25, 2026February 25, 2026

Trump's Election Threats: President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, in Washington.

Protecting the Vote

Don’t Panic About Trump’s Election Threats

by Joshua A. Douglas February 23, 2026February 22, 2026

The Fifth Circuit embraces detention without bond, dramatically expanding Trump’s immigration crackdown and testing the Roberts Court.

Law and Justice

Bail for All, Except Undocumented Immigrants

by James D. Zirin February 19, 2026February 19, 2026

Law and Justice

Trump’s Firing of a Fed Governor

by Peter M. Shane February 3, 2026February 3, 2026

Abolish ICE: Trump's ICE agents and other federal law enforcement in North Minneapolis, United States, on January 14, 2026.

Law and Justice

Trump’s ICE Problem—and Ours

by Garrett Epps February 2, 2026February 1, 2026

Trump's second term.

The Ephemeral Presidency

by Bill Scher January 19, 2026February 3, 2026