Justice Gorsuch on the habits that keep us free
Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch’s recent interview with Reason is worth listening to (or reading) not just for what it says about law, America250, and the Constitution, but for what it says about the habits required to keep a free society free.
One of the strongest themes in the conversation is Gorsuch’s reminder that Americans must learn, again and again, how to solve problems together. When people stop trusting one another locally, they naturally look to Washington or to other centralized authorities. One obvious signal and problem today is the way the populace hangs on Supreme Court decisions when past rulings received much less attention. Below are some of his words from the interview:
“…but one thing that I can’t help but wonder as part of it is a loss of trust in one another and trust in our ability to solve problems in our immediate community, right? If I trust you, and you trust me, we’re going to work out our problems, and we won’t need to appeal to some higher authority. What happens when you don’t trust one another, and you want to command and control, and you want it from the highest possible level, and you want it as quickly as you can, and maybe you’re willing even to forgo bicameralism and presentment just to get it done?”
— The Federalism Beat