EPPC - Edward Whelan RSS Feed

The HHS Contraception Mandate vs. the Religious Freedom Restoration Act

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

The Obama administration's mandate that employer-provided health-insurance plans cover contraceptives and abortifacients is a clearcut violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Defend Our Laws: Justice Matters

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EST

As conservatives begin sorting through the field of Republican presidential candidates, it's important to assess how the candidates form their positions on selecting Supreme Court justices and directing the Department of Justice.

Can Marriage Be Saved?

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 00:00:00 EST

The more confusion there is about the mission of marriage, the less well marriage will perform its critical mission. And the millions and millions of victims of a broken marriage culture—children born into unstable or nonexistent families—will continue to pile up, with all the attendant disastrous consequences.

Senate Testimony on Defending Marriage

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:00:00 EST

Far from respecting marriage, the mistitled "Respect for Marriage Act of 2011" would empty the term of any core content. Legislators who genuinely want to respect marriage should defend traditional marriage, not undermine it.

Disclosure Delayed Is Justice Denied

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 00:00:00 EST

Former judge Vaughn Walker's recent revelation that he has been in a same-sex relationship for the past ten years means that he should have disqualified himself from taking part in the anti-Prop 8 case—and that his judgment in that case should be vacated.

House of Representatives Testimony on Defending Marriage

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 00:00:00 EST

Testifying in the House of Representatives, EPPC President Ed Whelan criticized the Obama administration's recent decision to abandon defending—or, more precisely, to abandon even pretending to defend—the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

Should Supreme Court proceedings be televised? No

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 00:00:00 EST

There is very little to be gained—and much at risk of being lost—from televising Supreme Court proceedings.

Ninth Circuit Nominee Goodwin Liu

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 00:00:00 EST

In an essay on National Review Online—"Unsound and Unfit"—and in an extensive series of blog posts on National Review Online's Bench Memos blog, EPPC President Ed Whelan has exposed the radical record of Berkeley law professor Goodwin Liu, President Obama's controversial nominee to a seat on the federal court of appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Don’t Defend, Don’t Appeal?

Thu, 04 Nov 2010 00:00:00 EST

A recent ruling against the "don't ask, don't tell" law raises the broader question whether and when a president may decline to defend a federal law. In exploring the principles that govern this question, it's useful to test those principles against one's political biases.

A Reckless False Alarm

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 00:00:00 EST

Meryl Chertoff's inflammatory rhetoric defending Justice O'Connor's politicking shouldn't obscure the fact that Chertoff completely fails to address the substantive argument that O'Connor's conduct is unethical.

Don’t Defend, Don’t Tell

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 00:00:00 EST

President Obama's political appointees at the Department of Justice, including Attorney General Eric Holder and then-Solicitor General Elena Kagan, have only pretended to mount a vigorous defense of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell law while in fact operating to undermine it.

EPPC Amicus Brief in Proposition 8 Marriage Appeal

Fri, 24 Sep 2010 00:00:00 EST

In an amicus brief filed in the Ninth Circuit, EPPC President Ed Whelan surveys Judge Vaughn Walker's remarkable course of misconduct in the Proposition 8 case and concludes that the inescapable explanation for that misconduct is that Walker harbors a deep-seated animus against traditional marriage and has been unwilling or unable to contain his animus.

The Most Egregious Performance Ever by a Federal District Judge

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 00:00:00 EST

In light of the totality of Judge Walker's conduct in the anti-Proposition 8 lawsuit in California, it is doubtful that any federal district judge has ever committed more egregious and momentous acts of malfeasance in a case.

EPPC President Ed Whelan’s Testimony on Kagan Nomination

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EST

Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court, EPPC President Ed Whelan critiqued Senate Democrats' flimsy attacks on the Roberts Court and explained that "any sober assessment of the current reality and future risk of judicial activism provides further compelling reason to vote against the Kagan nomination."

Senate Judiciary Committee Testimony of Edward Whelan on Nomination of Elena Kagan

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:00:00 EST

Contrary to claims about the supposed "activism" of the Roberts Court, any sober assessment of the current reality and future risk of judicial activism provides compelling reason to vote against the Kagan nomination.

The Blankest Slate

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 00:00:00 EST

Because so little is known about Elena Kagan's legal and policy views, and because what little is known suggests that she may well indulge her sense of empathy in making legal judgments, it is especially important that the Senate conduct a thorough examination of her views.

On the Kagan Nomination

Tue, 11 May 2010 00:00:00 EST

In symposia for the Washington Post, the New York Times, and CNN.com, EPPC President Ed Whelan offers brief reflections on the nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court.

Who Should Replace Justice Stevens?

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 00:00:00 EST

President Obama should forswear his allegiance to liberal judicial activism and find a nominee committed to follow the path of judicial restraint.

Unsound and Unfit

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST

Berkeley law professor Goodwin Liu, nominated by President Obama to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, presents a volatile mix of aggressive left-wing ideology and raw inexperience.

The Show Trial on Same-Sex Marriage

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

In an ongoing series of posts on National Review Online's Bench Memos blog on the anti-Proposition 8 trial in California, EPPC President Ed Whelan is exposing the shenanigans orchestrated by the presiding judge. See also Mr. Whelan's introductory essay, "Staging a Show Trial on Same-Sex Marriage."