'Today, the law touches our lives in very different ways than it once did'
Opinion, comment and editorials of the day


'America has too many laws'
Neil Gorsuch and Janie Nitze at The Atlantic
The U.S. has "always been a nation of laws, but something has changed dramatically in recent decades," say Neil Gorsuch and Janie Nitze. Much in this "growing mountain of law isn't exactly intuitive." Legal institutions "have become so complicated and so numerous that even federal agencies cannot agree on how many federal agencies exist." The "explosion of law has taken a very real toll on the lives of everyday Americans" whose "stories must be told."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
'This should be our response to Donald Trump's comments that "you won't have to vote anymore"'
Jonathan Zimmerman at The Philadelphia Inquirer
Donald Trump "already tried to overturn one election," and "his comment about not having to vote seemed like a threat to end elections altogether," says Jonathan Zimmerman. Instead, everyone "should have to vote. The best way to bolster our sagging democracy would be to make voting compulsory." Compulsory voting "makes [other] governments more representative — and more democratic — than ours is." We "should require everyone to go to the polls, instead of telling them not to worry about it."
'Population growth isn't a progressive issue. It should be.'
Victor Kumar at The New York Times
Population decline is "widely seen as a conservative issue," so "many progressives don’t seem to worry about it. But they should," says Victor Kumar. If "left unchecked, population decline could worsen many of the problems that progressives care about, including economic inequality and the vulnerability of marginalized social groups." This "doesn't mean adopting the conservative case wholesale," but "right-wing packaging should not obscure the genuine perils to which pronatalism is a response."
'More bike lanes? Let's vote.'
Alan Wirzbicki at The Boston Globe
Holding a vote "seems like a good way to lower the temperature on bike lane battles," says Alan Wirzbicki. One of the "features of fights over bike lanes is that both sides tend to view themselves as victims." There are "situations where putting things to a popular vote wouldn’t be appropriate," but it's "perfectly reasonable in a democracy to let voters decide how to divvy up a limited public resource — in this case, street space.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.
-
Some mainstream Democrats struggle with Zohran Mamdani's surprise win
TALKING POINT To embrace or not embrace? A party in transition grapples with a rising star ready to buck political norms and energize a new generation.
-
How to make music part of your vacation
Let the rhythm move you
-
What is credit card churning and why is it risky?
the explainer Churners frequently open new credit cards with the intent of earning a welcome bonus and accessing other perks
-
Will NATO countries meet their new spending goal?
today's big question The cost of keeping Trump happy
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulings
Speed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible
-
Supreme Court lets states ax Planned Parenthood funds
Speed Read The court ruled that Planned Parenthood cannot sue South Carolina over the state's effort to deny it funding
-
'If smoke can affect health early in life, it also can affect life's end'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump plans Iran talks, insists nuke threat gone
Speed Read 'The war is done' and 'we destroyed the nuclear,' said President Trump
-
Trump embraces NATO after budget vow, charm offensive
Speed Read The president reversed course on his longstanding skepticism of the trans-Atlantic military alliance
-
'The arts are not just expressions of creativity'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Bibi's back: what will Netanyahu do next?
Today's Big Question Riding high after a series of military victories, Israel's PM could push for peace in Gaza – or secure his own position with snap election