Can Trump Sue Himself?

The question recently asked by a federal judge in Miami — can the president sue an entity in the executive branch of the federal government and benefit from the resolution of that lawsuit? — seems to beg the question. How could anyone sue an entity he controls and...

Birthright Citizenship Is Not Just for Immigrants

Now that we've completed our celebration of America's 250th birthday, it's time to prepare for the 300th — the tricentennial. I will not live to see it, but I hope the nation will. At least, I hope a certain kind of America will celebrate its 300th year — one that has...

News From Around the South, 7/6 to 7/13

SOUTH CAROLINA: University of Georgia provost named Clemson’s new president Selection came after the first choice opted to remain at Michigan State University CLEMSON — Clemson University’s governing board on Thursday selected University of Georgia provost Benjamin...

Graham Platner’s Disqualifying Behavior

The Washington Post put it this way: Platner, before the latest allegation, faced scrutiny for old social media posts dismissive of sexual assault, a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol that he has since covered up, sexually explicit text messages he sent to other women...

But first, coffee: The drink that energized the American Revolution

A consequential act of defiance secured tea's place as perhaps the most iconic beverage of America's colonial era. The Boston Tea Party became an essential ingredient in the recipe for revolution in the following years. But tea wasn't the only hot beverage with a...

The Fall of Vicksburg

When I was 19, I knew a much older man who'd grown up in 1930s Alabama. "We didn't celebrate the Fourth of July," he told me. "For us, it was the day Vicksburg fell." Vicksburg, Mississippi, fell to Union troops on July 4, 1863. The Confederates surrendered, as was...

News From Around the South, 6/29 to 7/6

SOUTH CAROLINA: SC militias fought for America’s freedom – who fights for their battlegrounds? As a boy, Rick Wise was hooked on military history from the beginning. But he was never told he lived mere miles from the pivotal spot where the backcountry’s “Swamp Fox,”...

July 4, 2026

"Which is better — to be ruled by one tyrant 3,000 miles away or by 3,000 tyrants one mile away?" — Rev. Mather Byles (1706-1788) Does it really matter if the instrument curtailing liberty is a monarch or a popularly elected legislature? This conundrum, along with the...

Obiter Dicta

Recent Posts

  • SOUTH CAROLINA: University of Georgia provost named Clemson’s new president Selection came after the first choice opted to remain at Michigan State University CLEMSON — Clemson University’s governing board on Read More