Last week a pastor well known in certain Baptist circles in Tennessee texted these words to me after receiving my new book about the United States Supreme Court, The Naked Court-Understanding and Resisting a Damnable United States Supreme Court, “You are a camelhair-wearing, locust-eating, fire-breathing PROPHET.” So, now, turning from the Court, I will provide an honest assessment of the work being done in conservative and Christian political circles.

After meeting this week with a respected state legislator who I personally like and whose moral values I share, I left disheartened. CPED is killing our nation. I fear those now trying to recruit candidates to run for the legislature will not look for signs of CPED and will be sorely disappointed, even if their candidate wins. CPED is not easily detected, but this should help you spot it going forward.

I was on a podcast this week to discuss the Ninth Amendment and my most recent book, The Naked Court—Understanding and Resisting a Damnable United States Supreme Court, and one of the hosts asked, “Do you hate the Supreme Court?” It caught me off guard, but here is my million dollar ‘’final answer.”   Yes. 

Last week President Joe Biden thrust into the national spotlight the Ninth Amendment I have been talking about for the last two years. What he said was right, but for all the wrong reasons. The Constitution will be recovered or lost for a generation or more based on whether states correctly use the Ninth Amendment. Tennessee’s legislature and governor can lead the way in using it correctly if they will.

I do not use the word in my title pejoratively; rather, I believe it is descriptive of the Court’s understanding of law, and it has given rise to legislation that poses the most fundamental worldview question Tennessee’s legislators will face this session. It will serve as a clue to what Tennesseans really believe and the degree of tyranny that lies before us.

Last Friday, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito decried the media creating the perception that the Court is a “dangerous cabal.” Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Stephen Breyer also recently spoke in defense of the Court ‘s legitimacy. But I had to laugh at Alito’s comment because of what he said about the Court a few years ago. The Justices are nervous about the Court’s legitimacy and whether its upcoming decisions on abortion, guns, and religious liberty could lead to “court packing.” Here is what the Justices need to do.

At a recent conference, Christians expressed concern that civil government was increasingly infringing on the right to religious liberty. But it became clear that the right will continue to shrink if they don’t change the way they speak about and defend the right.

The other week a preacher called to ask me a question. I emailed an answer and then emailed again to tell him to disregard it. My answer reminded me of a gathering a few years ago following a terrible decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. I realized I had made the same mistake with him that I believe the leaders of that gathering made.

“Barrett, Breyer, and Baloney” is not the name of a law firm that practices before the U.S. Supreme Court. Rather it is a description of my reaction to comments made this week by two Justices—one liberal, the other conservative (perhaps)—about the cries of liberals to expand the number of Justices on the Court (“court packing”). Of course, those cries intensified after the Court refused to intervene to prevent Texas’ abortion statute from going into effect. The Court created its own mess.

After the electoral events of Tuesday and Wednesday, multiple thoughts ran through my mind. I scoured the news, praying that I might be given something insightful to say that has not already been said. Whether my prayer was answered, you can judge, but for me, at least, it was.