Chris Karpowitz

The Trump Administration has used the power of government to restrict broadcast of a conversation about politics, the meaning and purpose of Christianity, and the role of religious belief more broadly. Chilling.

Having spent the morning discussing publication prospects for null results from a high-N study with an innovative research design, this is, well, depressing.

My paper on the original meaning of birthright citizenship is now published

Can’t wait to read this, Chagai! Congratulations!!

I was shocked when I saw that, too! We talked about it our last meeting and are watching closely, as we really value the reviewers’ time, but it definitely caused a chuckle for us as well! Would that all manuscripts had such willing referees!

And it’s rare to have this yield right off the bat!

We typically have to invite somewhere between 8 and 12 to get 3 timely completes. Don’t worry, we’re monitoring closely so that we won’t waste anyone’s time! On rare occasions, multiple reviewers will complete at the same time so we have more than 3, but that’s the exception.

And we still have the weekend to go! (Sigh.)

Ian McKellen performs “The Strangers’ Case” speech from “Sir Thomas More” on Colbert.

The tragic destruction of the Washington Post's brand is a sad tale of Bezos's hubris and cravenness. He has completely misjudged what is required at this moment ... and why the Post's readership is declining.

Opinion | We’re Seeing the Weakness of a Strong State

“What we are seeing is the weakness of strong states. Regimes that rely on repression face a challenge: The more force they deploy, the more they risk exposing their own brutality to politically persuadable observers. Overreach doesn’t just project strength; it also undermines legitimacy.” Gift link

More evidence of federal agents behaving in ways that are flagrantly inconsistent with the Constitution and basic principles of a free society.

Video: How ‘Turn and Burn’ Immigration Operations Unleash Chaos — and Sweep up U.S. Citizens A video analysis of one early morning raid in Los Angeles revealed the vast web of consequences brought by new aggressive Border Patrol tactics.

This is from December, but it carefully highlights tactics used by ICE and the Border Patrol, including against U.S. citizens. Put simply, these scenes are deeply inconsistent with respect for public safety, the Constitution, and, more broadly, a free society.

www.nytimes.com/video/us/100...

This is the closing paragraph of French’s essay.

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/18/o...

Opinion | Trump Has Stopped Pretending That This Is All Normal The president’s assertion of unlimited authority is a total rejection of popular sovereignty and the logic of the Constitution.

In @nytopinion.nytimes.com

“Trump’s assertion of unlimited authority — subject only to his moral judgment and his mind (whatever that means) — is a total rejection of popular sovereignty and the logic of the Constitution,” our columnist Jamelle Bouie writes.

Lucky that no congregants were injured or killed. Torahs take a year to write so this is really long term damage to the community.

War is peace.
Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength.

Congratulations, Seth! I’m looking forward to this one … though that’s true every time, of course!

Opinion | One of America’s Most Successful Experiments Is Coming to a Shuddering Halt

“This is a radical change, and one that will surely leave the United States poorer, weaker and more isolated. I cannot help but detect in these nativist outbursts against Indian immigrants and their descendants a profound loss of confidence.” www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/o...

This is a terrific book by a terrific scholar. I will be using it in my course on the American Dream. Congratulations, Liz, on this wonderful accomplishment!

A figure depicting opposition to immigration from people who were themselves immigrants a generation earlier. It is a cartoon from

None of this is new, and it's as problematic today as it was then.

Are you kidding me?! What an inning.

“The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands … may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.”

I agree. Though I know all sorts of language has long been used behind the scenes, the degradation of our public discourse in this way makes me sad.

Congratulations! I'm looking forward to reading it!

I'm sure courts of appeal will have, um, thoughts about some aspects of this opinion. But as a real-time expression of pain at the constitutional injury we are experiencing, I haven't read anything like it.

This image quotes Judge Young's opinion on masks. It states that "ICE goes masked for a single reason -- to terrorize Americans into quiescence."

This opinion is worth reading. Here's the portion of Judge Young's decision that concerns masked ICE officers. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

A photo of the Sundance Resort at night.

Thanks to Robert Redford, not only for his movies and promotion of the arts, including the Sundance Institute, but also for providing a place just minutes from Provo to experience the extraordinary natural beauty of this area.