Jack Fruchtman
RBG, her constitutional legacy
Tributes to the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg have rightly focused on her leadership in promoting human rights, especially gender equality, throughout her entire...
A modest plea for precision, Part Two
In these pages, I recently set out some basic ideas concerning terms and phrases used without precision by politicians and the media. They say...
A modest plea for precision
Sometimes when speaking and writing, we may use words and phrases so loosely that we overlook their true meaning. This is particularly true during...
America’s founders and Confederate generals
A wide gap separates Confederate generals memorialized on plaques, statues, and monuments, and the American founders and framers of the Constitution. It is no...
Independence Day, 2020 — a time to unite
Fourth of July celebrations commemorate the most American of all holidays. We have traditionally invited friends and family to join us for cookouts, parades,...
The Trump social media executive order
Last week, Twitter added fact-checking labels, then a warning, to several tweets by President Trump. The president responded by signing an executive order that...
The coming climate
One possible good outcome of the pandemic and its impact on the economy is having the cleanest air and water in decades, thanks to...
Congressional action, congressional deadlock
One remarkable outcome of COVID-19 is the recent congressional cooperation. Since March 6, the body has passed four major measures, costing trillions of dollars,...
Patriot’s Day 2020
Today, as I write this, is Patriot’s Day in Massachusetts. It is a holiday in a few states, but Massachusetts is key because it...
What to read these days?
Mysteries, crime stories, histories, classic literature, even philosophy may be on our reading list these days as we worry through the crisis caused by...
The Electoral College is here to stay
Politics and primaries have rightly taken second place to concerns about COVID-19. But recently, as we move toward the presidential election, renewed criticism has...
Electric cars, the EPA, and us
The Island has become a major leader in combating climate change, especially regarding carbon emissions. Massachusetts has designated several towns as green communities, which,...
‘Dr. Zhivago’ for our time
Should anyone believe that Russia today is different from the old Soviet Union, they should have watched “Dr. Zhivago,” the motion picture adapted from...
Church and state, again
A few weeks back, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that could once again redraw the line separating church and state....
Heard of the Lincoln Project?
President Trump’s impeachment trial promises to end in acquittal, given the high bar of 67 senators needed to remove him from office. Yet, several...
Romneycare vs. Obamacare, the court will decide
The Supreme Court may soon determine the fate of the Affordable Care and Patient Protection Act (ACA), commonly known as Obamacare. First, some basic facts. Ninety-eight...
Pensions and Social Security, France versus America
Americans are following, or should be following, the impeachment proceedings against President Trump in the House of Representatives. The British have been distracted by...
DACA and the court
On Nov. 12, an ideologically divided Supreme Court considered President Trump’s authority to cancel the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that President...
The impeachment inquiry
“Legislative in the Congress, yet checked by negative of the executive. Executive in the President, yet checked by impeachment of Congress.” — Alexander...
The Supreme Court in session
The Supreme Court, by law, began its new term on the first Monday in October. We can look forward to a bare majority of...