Scrutiny
The Theory, Born at Harvard, That Could Remake Right-Wing Jurisprudence
Over the past five years, common good constitutionalism has taken tenuous root in elite legal academia. It’s now beginning to find its way into courtrooms. But scholars remain divided on its potential to reshape the legal landscape — and whose “common good” it seeks to advance.
Volume XXXVI, Issue XI October 3, 2025
Dear FM, In this week’s cover story, SG and JES probe a legal theory with growing influence on the right-wing legal landscape: common good constitutionalism. The theory itself originated at Harvard, from the work of Harvard Law School professor C. Adrian C. Vermeule ’90. Through careful analysis of material ranging from dense legal documents to tweets, SG and JES raise questions about the future of common good constitutionalism. Will the theory begin to appear in more court decisions and law school syllabi? What will law school students — the future’s lawyers and judges — make of the theory? And will common good constitutionalism remake right-wing jurisprudence, much like originalism did a few decades ago? Elsewhere, CB talks to another figure in the legal world: Alfredo Gutierrez Ortiz Mena, a former justice of the Mexican Supreme Court. DCB takes up One Tap Away — our new laundry app — in a levity that will make you mourn Crimson Cash. Closing the issue out, AM gets philosophical about flies. FMLove, MTB + YAK
Can Privilege Be Taught? Beacon Academy Thinks So.
Staff and alumni say Beacon changes the trajectory of its students’ lives. Some wonder what parts of their identity they may have to give up in the process.
Volume XXXVI, Issue X September 27, 2025
Dear Reader, This week's scrutiny covers Beacon Academy, a gap year program between eighth and ninth grade designed to help students from historically underrepresented communities gain admission to private high schools. What differentiates Beacon from similar college preparatory programs is its cultural curriculum: Alongside their coursework, students will take trips to Martha's Vineyard, take rowing lessons, and learn dinner table etiquette. AR and CGH examine how Beacon Academy helps its students achieve upward mobility—at the risk of alienating parts of their identities in the process. Also in this issue: KJK's first column installment on the cringiness of cringe, EMK's conversation with Prof. Spencer Lee-Lenfield, and JPL's endpaper on falling back in love with visual art. FMLove, YAK+MTB
