A Model of Civics and Civility, and a Mensch's Mensch
You may have seen and read in the news media about the passing of Judge Robert Katzmann, former chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals...
Teaching Civics after the Attack on the Capitol
Here's a recent commentary I had in the Baltimore Sun, Newsday, the Hartford Courant and several other newspapers and online sites around...
We Deserve Credit, Not Chaos
(Published in the Scranton Times-Tribune, Nov. 18, 2020) We just experienced one of the greatest achievements in our democracy’s history....
Hold on Tight: It Could Be a Wild Ride
When I write my next edition of Presidential Elections and Other Cool Facts, I'm going to add a new chapter on "When Must All the Votes...
You Can't Punch Me in the Nose
There’s an old legal adage that goes something like this: “Your right to swing your fist ends where someone else’s nose begins.” That’s a...
Having It Both Ways
(Published in the Scranton Times-Tribune, June 4, 2020) In my children’s book on civics, “How the U.S. Government Works,” I explain to...
Why Joe Can't Help It
(Published March 6, 2020 in the Scranton Times-Tribune) My daughters hate the way I schmooze. “How come every time we go to a restaurant,...
The Supreme Court: Can It Survive the Current Era of Hyperpartisanship?
Let me start by asking you a question. How many of you think the Supreme Court and the federal courts are nonpartisan? How many don’t? My...
Trump's Attacks on Congress, Immigrants Are Attacks on American Values
"Go back to where you came from" has long been the call of bigots and xenophobes in the U.S. It's what the Know Nothing Party of the...
Federal Judges Are 'Guardedly Apolitical'
One of the privileges of my former position with the federal judicial branch was attending periodic meetings of a small, distinguished...