Opinion Today: How did we get here?

And six ways to fix it.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story October 27, 2020 By Ezekiel Kweku Politics Editor, Opinion The weekend before I joined The Times Opinion team, Ruth Bader Ginsburg died. Upon hearing the news, I first felt a somber appreciation for Justice Ginsburg’s life and influence, followed closely by ruefulness about how the already tumultuous environment in which I’d be starting my new job would become even more intense. Then I was struck by how enormously consequential this death was — and how wrong the sheer scale of it seemed. It is not surprising that an 87-year-old American woman would die, even one as indomitable as Justice Ginsburg. A glance at the actuarial tables would tell us that. And yet the arbitrary timing of her passing was monumental, a cusp upon which whole decades of history would turn. Our political institutions, in fact, had systematically entrusted deeply important, fundamental decisions that would affect the lives of hundreds of millions of people to blind chance. It seemed to be a sign that something was off-kilter. This, of course, is the moral intuition of a simple newspaperman, not substantive analysis grounded on legal theory or political history. But the nice thing about being an editor is that I can ask the people who know things what they know — and find out if there is something to my intuition. And the nice thing about being an opinion editor is that I can ask those same people how things could be brought back into balance, how the Supreme Court ought to be returned to its proper shape and size. That is how today’s special package, “How to Fix the Supreme Court,” came into being. It contains six pieces each pitching an idea for how to reform the court, plus two more crucial components. The first is an essay from New York Times Magazine’s Emily Bazelon describing the history that has led us to this point, and a conservative dissent from the idea that the court should be reformed at all, from Randy Barnett. I hope you find the project interesting and informative. I’ll see you in these pages after the election — happy voting! Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT How to Fix the Supreme Court Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation has tilted the high court’s ideological balance. What should the court’s future be, and who gets to decide it? By The New York Times Opinion Forward this newsletter to friends … … to share ideas and perspectives that will help inform their lives. They can sign up here. Do you have feedback? Email us at opiniontoday@nytimes.com Here’s what we’re focusing on today: Editors’ Picks The Republican Party’s Supreme Court The quest to entrench political conservatism in the country’s highest court comes with a steep cost. By The Editorial Board The Media’s Hunter Biden Conundrum It should be possible to cover revelations about the Biden family that are neither disinformation nor the greatest scandal of our time. By Ross Douthat On Politics Trump Tells Coronavirus, ‘I Surrender’ The president plays the climate-denial playbook on a pandemic. By Paul Krugman Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Overcoming the Pandemic Doctors Are Dreading the Winter Anticipation, frustration and sadness fill hospitals as Covid-19 case counts rise again. By Daniela J. Lamas Ideas Anti-Semitism and What Feeds It Two years after the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre, the oldest hatred is flourishing across the political spectrum. By Bret Stephens The Lesson From Bolivia for Latin American Politics The ability to move past controversial leaders can energize the movements and the values they champion. By Brendan O’Boyle What You’re Saying letters Covid in America: ‘A Tale of Two Worlds’ Readers are outraged that the president and the vice president continue to hold rallies where people are packed together and often maskless. letter In Defense of Ayn Rand A senior fellow at the Ayn Rand Institute takes issue with a column by Paul Krugman that blamed her philosophy for the weak response to the pandemic. Contact Us If you have questions about your Times account, delivery problems or other issues, visit our Help Page or contact The Times. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. David Leonhardt's newsletter is now the Opinion Today newsletter. You received this email because you signed up for David Leonhardt's newsletter or the Opinion Today newsletter from The New York Times. To stop receiving these emails, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018