Democracy Requires Disempowering the Supreme Court
New rulings on presidential immunity, workers’ rights, and Chevron deference make it clear: we can have social progress, or we can have a powerful Supreme Court, but we can’t have both.
248 Articles by: Ben Burgis
Ben Burgis is a Jacobin columnist, an adjunct philosophy professor at Rutgers University, and the host of the YouTube show and podcast Give Them An Argument. He’s the author of several books, most recently Christopher Hitchens: What He Got Right, How He Went Wrong, and Why He Still Matters.
Biden Is Betting Everything on a Very Shaky Strategy
Joe Biden thinks he doesn’t need to deliver for American workers in order to beat Donald Trump, wagering that concern for democratic institutions will do the work for him. He’s sleepwalking into a catastrophe.
Rashida Tlaib Is Right: the Supreme Court Is Corrupt
The Supreme Court is an unelected super-legislature that is riven with bribery and corruption, in addition to justices’ extreme antimajoritarian views. Rashida Tlaib’s call for impeachment and reform is causing outrage, but she’s right.
Israel Killed Hundreds of Civilians to Save Four of Its Own
Last Saturday, Israel massacred hundreds of Palestinian civilians in an operation to rescue four Israeli hostages. American commentators rushed to justify the brutal operation.
For Pamela Paul, Free Speech Attacks Over Palestine Don’t Count
The New York Times’s Pamela Paul postures as a free speech champion. Yet somehow, employers blacklisting student Palestine protesters doesn’t seem to bother her.
The Rule of Law Being Applied to Trump Is Good
Presidents and ex-presidents should be subject to the same laws as the rest of us. But don’t be too quick to assume this conviction will save Joe Biden.
NYU’s Vapid Reeducation for Palestine Protesters
New York University is punishing students who protested the genocide in Gaza by forcing them to take a philosophically confused course on “integrity.” University administrators are the ones who need to brush up on that subject.
We Can’t Have a Fair Society Under Capitalism
Random chance governs far more of our lives than most of us are comfortable admitting. Fully appreciating the influence of luck on life chances should lead us to rethink our economic and political institutions from the bottom up.
The Pro-Palestine Protests Must Continue Off Campus
College students are right to raise hell about the genocide in Gaza. But the momentum can’t stop when the semester ends.
Freedom Under Capitalism Isn’t All It’s Cracked Up to Be
Libertarians argue that capitalism is superior to socialism because in capitalism anyone is free to do anything — including start a worker cooperative. In truth, capitalism constrains our options, while socialism can liberate us to live as we please.
Pro-Palestine Protesters Are on the Right Side of History
Like those who protested the Vietnam War, the college students currently protesting Israel’s vicious assault on Gaza are in the right. Future generations won’t look kindly on those who used the moment to smear campus protesters as “antisemites.”
The Long Beach Post Is Union Busting in Broad Daylight
Striking Long Beach Post journalists say they are fighting against layoffs, corporate media consolidation, and union-busting labor law violations.
Democratic Voters Are Furious About US Support of Israel
Nearly 50,000 voters in Wisconsin’s Democratic presidential primary just cast ballots for nobody. In state after state, the voters Joe Biden needs are registering their fury about US support for Israel’s war on Gaza by voting “uncommitted.”
Palestinians’ Right of Return Is a Basic Question of Justice
Denying Palestinian refugees the right to come back to the areas from which they were ethnically cleansed is deeply unjust. We must recognize the Palestinian right of return.
Yes, Trump Really Is Dangerously Dehumanizing Migrants
Contrary to some headlines, Donald Trump didn’t threaten immigrants with a “bloodbath.” But he did say some immigrants are “not people” — and the last five months in Gaza have shown us where this kind of rhetoric about “human animals” can lead.
PragerU’s Moral Case for Capitalism Is Terrible
Megapopular right-wing YouTube channel PragerU’s “moral case for capitalism” fails to address capitalism’s massive defects — its injustice, exploitation, and instability. Instead, it offers a glib pep talk about why modern society is better than feudalism.
No One’s Rights Should Depend on Where Their Ancestors Lived
Arguments over whether Israelis or Palestinians count as “really indigenous” are beside the point. No one’s human rights should depend on their ethnicity or religion or where their ancestors come from.
The New York Times Has an Ugly Anti-Palestinian Bias
The fact that the New York Times assigned its investigation of October 7 sexual assault claims to Anat Schwartz, a non-journalist with anti-Palestinian beliefs and ties to the Israeli military, is an extreme reflection of the paper’s unflagging pro-Israel bias.
If Michigan Primary Voters Snub Joe Biden, Blame Joe Biden
Rashida Tlaib is getting blowback for urging Michigan Democratic primary voters to cast their ballots as “uncommitted” rather than for Joe Biden. But if voters take issue with Biden’s support for Israel’s assault on Gaza, that’s no one’s fault but his own.
Florida’s “Communism Task Force” Is Absurd Red-Baiting
Republicans in Florida’s legislature don’t think enough is being done to indoctrinate children in the Sunshine State against the dangers of communism. Frankly, it’s a little heartening that they’re this worried about a socialist resurgence.