'The double standards don't trouble the critics'

'Judicial independence: Still a good idea'

James C. Ho at The Wall Street Journal

If "you don't like certain rulings, go win some elections, so that you can appoint different judges," says James C. Ho. But "don't mess with judicial independence simply because you don't like a particular decision." The "recent attacks on the judiciary are based on a series of double standards," Ho adds. It is a "deliberate strategy to create a perverse incentive structure for judges: If you rule the way the critics dictate, you won't be criticized — you'll be celebrated."

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'Transgender wars are a test of whether our humanity can trump focus-group politics'

Will Bunch at The Philadelphia Inquirer

The "early fights over the president-elect's off-the-wall cabinet picks and TV debates over just how anti-democratically the Trump regime might govern are still an abstraction to most Americans," but it's "different in the transgender community," says Will Bunch. The "normalization of transphobia in American politics, and the signs of looming government repression, poses a major moral test." Can "those of us not in the transgender community fully embrace the humanity of our friends, family members, or neighbors who are?"

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'Brazil's right should move on from Bolsonaro'

Juan Pablo Spinetto at Bloomberg

Jair Bolsonaro's indictment "should be a moment of deep reflection and reconfiguration for Brazil's political establishment," says Juan Pablo Spinetto. Brazilians "shouldn't overestimate the 'persecution effect' that these fresh allegations may trigger." For "all their seeming passion, not all Bolsonaro voters support a dictatorship or back his unproved claims of voter fraud." Brazil's "opposition parties should get smart and focus on building an alternative candidacy for the 2026 presidential election, moving on from Bolsonaro's long-lasting scandals."

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'Don't give up on Democratic celebrities just yet'

David Litt at Politico

It "would be particularly ironic — not to mention disastrous — to reject celebrity support because of a disappointing presidential year," says David Litt. Presidential elections "are the ones in which celebrity endorsements matter least," because "by the time ballots are cast, candidates enjoy name recognition of 100%." Still, celebrities "can also help signal a party's willingness to expand its coalition," and Democrats should "augment their typical enthusiasm from Hollywood with supporters from surprising places."

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