In the News

Former Federal Judge, and Wheatley Fellow, Thomas Griffith shares his thoughts on the critique that follow choices made by the Supreme Court. He argues for the justices are able to seperate the decision making with the way to which they entered the Supreme Court.

Hal Boyd voices his perspective on being a christian in modern times. Boyd’s post comes in response to a talk given to Ensign College by President Dallin H. Oaks of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Oak’s addressed students of Ensign College along with Elder Clark G. Gilbert, the church comissioner of education, on May 17th of 2022 in Salt Lake City.

Jenet Jacob Erickson, an Associate Professor of Religious Education at Brigham Young University and Wheatley Institute Fellow, shared her thoughts on Supreme Court draft leak regarding Roe v. Wade. The draft penned by Justice Samuel Alito seeks to overturn the Roe v. Wade case of 1973 that granted the right to receive an abortion.

This week, Newsweek published an opinion editorial featuring the 2022 State of Our Unions study on marriage. Newsweek’s op-ed focuses on the benefits of marrying earlier in life rather than later, highlighting research from the 2022 report.

In a recently published commentary in the Wall Street Journal, Wheatley Fellow Jenet Erickson, and her co-author J.D. Vance, raise important questions about the wisdom of President Joe Biden’s $225 billion budget proposal for daycare. Apart from questioning the cost, Erickson and Vance question how to ensure efficacious care for millions of children moved abruptly into childcare.

"They took on one of the thorniest issues of the day from the heart of the culture wars and treated each other with dignity. They didn’t attack each other; they contended with each other’s ideas and only after working hard to understand those ideas."

The 2025 American Family Survey is live. The launch event, that took place on November 14, was published online to view by C-Span.

Tyson Reeder, an Affiliated Scholar for Wheatley Institute's Constitution Initiative, was awarded the prestegious George Washington Prize for his book Serpent in Eden. The book is an exploration of foreign meddling in early American politics, analyzing both the ways in which foreign powers swayed American democracy and the ways the new republic attempted to respond. The work was praised as "a blend of wonderful storytelling and intriguing characters along with perceptive historical analysis. . . . This important contribution stands out as an incredibly timely and relevant book for how we can use the past to understand the present."

I am not legally bound to honor the holy spaces of others, to make room for their beliefs and practices, or to respond to their religious speech with peace, tolerance and respect. But the norm of religious freedom creates a powerful social force encouraging me to do so.