Jack Fruchtman
Should the United States have a new Constitution?
The question posed in the title recently surfaced in the New York Times. A conservative House Republican from Texas, Jodey Arrington, introduced legislation directing...
The postal service and abortion
Most women seeking abortions today now go about self-medication by ordering two pills through the mail. According to the Guttmacher Institute, medication abortion is...
Abortion and the right of locomotion
The U.S. Constitution does not explicitly guarantee the freedom of movement. Law enforcement authorities may detain a person from leaving a state if they...
A further reckoning: The Supreme Court’s next term
If last year’s Supreme Court term was full of blockbuster landmark rulings, next year promises more to come. To date, the justices have accepted...
Supreme Court review: Winners, losers, and those in between
The Supreme Court’s term, which ended on June 30, demonstrated the power of the conservative majority that was emboldened after the confirmation of Amy...
After Roe: A grim future for many of our rights
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health infuriated some but delighted others.
The opinion by Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. overruling...
American expectations of the Jan. 6 committee
The foundational principle of the American democratic republic is the rule of law. The framers of the Constitution were certain that their new government...
What to do about so many guns
All the Islanders I know who own guns are highly responsible with and knowledgeable about their firearms. That said, editorial cartoonist Drew Sheneman of...
The ‘great replacement’ explained
Many people may now be familiar with the “great replacement” theory, universally used by white supremacists such as Payton Gendron, who drove 200 miles...
The future of Roe, the court, and us
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.’s recently leaked draft opinion overruling Roe v. Wade has amplified the loss of credibility the Supreme Court has suffered...
Peter Ochs, a tribute
Longtime Aquinnah resident Peter Ochs, who died on April 11 in Vienna, Austria, was a Gay Head original.
Thirty years ago, my wife and I...
Russian war crimes
President Biden has called Russian military action in Ukraine war crimes and even declared he held Russian President Vladimir Putin personally responsible. Biden said...
Ginni and Clarence Thomas: conflicts of interest
recuse | ri-ˈkyüz transitive verb
to disqualify (oneself) as judge in a particular case; broadly: to remove (oneself) from participation to avoid a...
Russia (and Putin) in history
In January, I wrote that I hoped that the Russians and Ukrainians could come to a peaceful settlement that would “guarantee Ukrainian integrity and...
Libel and a free press
With its awardwinning reporting staff, The MV Times prides itself on precision. No news publication is, however, above criticism, because some people will always...
Banning books
Chances are you’ve read a banned book. Take, for example, the Bible, the best-selling book of all time, estimated to be between five and...
The court after Breyer
Observers have rightly noted that Justice Stephen G. Breyer’s replacement on the Supreme Court will not alter its ideological balance. At 83, he announced...
Why the crisis in Ukraine matters to us
We must not underestimate the danger of the Russian buildup of some 100,000 troops on the Ukrainian border. While Russian President Vladimir Putin claims...
Revising history, renewing ideas
The new year always brings renewal, as do new historical ideas. Revisionism usually occurs in the academy. But not always. Its most recent manifestations...
‘Storm Lake’ revisited, and your community newspaper
Who will make the checks at City Hall? Who — among America’s great din of flackery and cant — will tell us in...