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Alison L. LaCroix

Alison L. LaCroix

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Alison L. LaCroix, a former member of the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States, is Professor of Law and an associate member of the History Department at the University of Chicago and the author of The Interbellum Constitution: Union, Commerce, and Slavery in the Age of Federalisms (Yale University Press, May 2024).

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  1. Alison L. LaCroix on the US Supreme Court, immigration policy, federalism, and more
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    Alison L. LaCroix on the US Supreme Court, immigration policy, federalism, and more

    Apr 30, 2024 Alison L. LaCroix explains why “originalist” methods of constitutional interpretation are deeply ahistorical, describes the zero-sum relationship between state and federal power in modern America, identifies possible historical analogues for the upcoming US presidential election, and more.

  2. Texas and the Perpetual Crisis of American Federalism
    lacroix2_ Michael GonzalezGetty Images_texasUSflags Michael Gonzalez/Getty Images

    Texas and the Perpetual Crisis of American Federalism

    Mar 26, 2024 Alison L. LaCroix highlights the constitutional threat posed by the state's attempt to impose its own immigration policy.

  3. James Madison v. Originalism
    lacroix1_Universal History ArchiveGetty Images_jamesmadison Universal History Archive/Getty Images

    James Madison v. Originalism

    Aug 26, 2022 Alison L. LaCroix shows that the dominant conservative method of constitutional interpretation is utterly ahistorical.

  1. frankel166_JemalCountessGettyImages_national_debt Jemal Countess/Getty Images

    Elon Musk’s $2 Trillion Fiscal Fantasy

    Jeffrey Frankel

    It is often said that a businessman like Donald Trump or Elon Musk will know how to put America’s fiscal house in order. But between Trump’s planned tax cuts and Musk’s absurd estimate of how much federal spending can be reduced, the smart money says they have no idea what they are doing.

    dives into the incoming US administration’s absurd claim that fresh tax cuts will not increase the deficit.
  2. buchholz21_getty images_us china Getty Images

    The Deal Trump Should Offer China

    Todd G. Buchholz

    To address what he sees as an unfair Sino-American economic relationship, Donald Trump should focus not on trade but on China's currency manipulation and massive holdings of US debt. After all, why saddle US consumers with higher costs when you can demand reparations directly from a foreign competitor?

    proposes that the incoming US administration push for a debt write-off and market access instead of tariffs.
  3. muzikarova7_NurPhotoGettyImages_cyberconference_poland NurPhoto/Getty Images

    Central and Eastern Europe’s Bid for AI Dominance

    Soňa Muzikárová outlines steps policymakers can take to harness the technology’s potential to boost growth and prosperity.
  4. aosaid1_getty images_tech justice

    Can Technology End Corruption?

    Azalina Othman Said thinks that powerful new digital tools can help, but only if governments commit to upholding the rule of law.
  5. scherger1ARMEND NIMANIAFP via Getty Images_farming ARMEND NIMANI/AFP via Getty Images
    Free to read

    Carbon Farming Won't Save the Planet

    Sophie Scherger warns that soil-storage offsets may serve as a smokescreen for polluting industries.
  6. bildt129_MaximShipenkovGettyImages_valdai_putin_fail Maxim Shipenkov/Getty Images

    Putin’s March of Folly

    Carl Bildt argues that Russia’s president has only his own poor decisions to blame for his country’s loss of status.
  7. hausmann117_TONY KARUMBAAFP via Getty Images_africawindfarm Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Images

    A Better Approach to Climate Finance

    Ricardo Hausmann shows how developing countries can accelerate global decarbonization while creating new growth opportunities.
  8. ghosh83_CHRISTIAN MONTERROSAAFP via Getty Images_trump cop CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA/AFP via Getty Images

    Trump’s Bad COP

    Jayati Ghosh says the Paris climate agreement’s future depends on how other countries respond to the new US administration.
  9. goldberg32_Spencer PlattGetty Images_USshipping Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    Are Tariffs Worth It?

    Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg thinks the risks and costs for the US will far outweigh any potential political or geopolitical benefits.

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