Reed Fagan’s Reviews > Democracy in America > Status Update
Reed Fagan
is on page 103 of 920
"But the American judge is brought into the political arena independently of his own will. He judges the law only because he is obliged to judge a case."-p.103
John Oliver this wk pointed out the danger of SCOTUS' discretionary power over which cases they ignore & esp which cases they elevate & expedite rulings on, i.e. "the shadow docket".
— May 11, 2026 11:05AM
John Oliver this wk pointed out the danger of SCOTUS' discretionary power over which cases they ignore & esp which cases they elevate & expedite rulings on, i.e. "the shadow docket".
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Reed’s Previous Updates
Reed Fagan
is on page 112 of 920
Political Jurisdiction in the US.
American "political jurisdiction...[may be]...the most formidable weapon [ever] placed in the grasp of a majority. When the American republics begin to degenerate, [we can test if this is true by] whether the number of political impeachments is increased." -p111
T lauds that impchmnt means poltcns face only pol. consqncs. In France it's also always crimnl, thus less likely to be used
— 18 hours, 18 min ago
American "political jurisdiction...[may be]...the most formidable weapon [ever] placed in the grasp of a majority. When the American republics begin to degenerate, [we can test if this is true by] whether the number of political impeachments is increased." -p111
T lauds that impchmnt means poltcns face only pol. consqncs. In France it's also always crimnl, thus less likely to be used
Reed Fagan
is on page 103 of 920
Judicial Power in the United States.
"by intimately uniting the trial of the law with the trial of an individual, legislation is protected from wanton assaults and from the daily aggressions of party spirit."-p.102
— May 11, 2026 11:03AM
"by intimately uniting the trial of the law with the trial of an individual, legislation is protected from wanton assaults and from the daily aggressions of party spirit."-p.102
Reed Fagan
is on page 97 of 920
Townships & Municipal Bodies.
T claims it is politics at the town level that is the secret sauce of America. The buy-in/ownership/initiative there is genuine and enlivened in ways not true in much of Europe in his opinion, where generations of top-down governance makes ppl "subjects" rather than "citizens". NB, T extrapolates to all America from seeing mainly Mass. towns.
— May 11, 2026 10:47AM
T claims it is politics at the town level that is the secret sauce of America. The buy-in/ownership/initiative there is genuine and enlivened in ways not true in much of Europe in his opinion, where generations of top-down governance makes ppl "subjects" rather than "citizens". NB, T extrapolates to all America from seeing mainly Mass. towns.
Reed Fagan
is on page 74 of 920
"It is to be remembered, too, that the affections of men generally turn towards power." -p. 66, Alexis de Tolkien 🤭
— May 06, 2026 06:04PM
Reed Fagan
is on page 71 of 920
Townships and Municipal Bodies.
"No idea was ever entertained of attacking the principal or contesting the rights of society; but the exercise of its authority was divided, in order that the office might be powerful and the officer insignificant, and that the community should be at once regulated and free. In no [other] country in the world... is the right of applying [the law] vested in so many hands." -p.71
— May 06, 2026 05:53PM
"No idea was ever entertained of attacking the principal or contesting the rights of society; but the exercise of its authority was divided, in order that the office might be powerful and the officer insignificant, and that the community should be at once regulated and free. In no [other] country in the world... is the right of applying [the law] vested in so many hands." -p.71
Reed Fagan
is on page 58 of 920
Sovereignty of the People.
"When a nation begins to modify the elective qualification, it may easily be foreseen that, sooner or later, that qualification will be entirely abolished...no stop can be made short of universal suffrage." -p. 57
Suffrage ended up going further than T might have been able to conceive.
"The people reign in the American political world as the Deity does in the universe." -p. 58
— May 05, 2026 10:29AM
"When a nation begins to modify the elective qualification, it may easily be foreseen that, sooner or later, that qualification will be entirely abolished...no stop can be made short of universal suffrage." -p. 57
Suffrage ended up going further than T might have been able to conceive.
"The people reign in the American political world as the Deity does in the universe." -p. 58
Reed Fagan
is on page 54 of 920
Social Condition of the Anglo-Americans.
T marvels how Americans don't face the classism of aristocracy (frequent sale of inherited land & assumption of new professions keeps ppl from amassing inordinate wealth over others) yet also don't succumb to despotic governance & illiberty w/o aristocratic powers to oppose such.
"Their circumstances, origin, intelligence & morals establish & maintain their freedom."-54, parap
— May 02, 2026 04:11PM
T marvels how Americans don't face the classism of aristocracy (frequent sale of inherited land & assumption of new professions keeps ppl from amassing inordinate wealth over others) yet also don't succumb to despotic governance & illiberty w/o aristocratic powers to oppose such.
"Their circumstances, origin, intelligence & morals establish & maintain their freedom."-54, parap
Reed Fagan
is on page 45 of 920
Origin of the Anglo-Americans.
Tocqueville sees the founding colonies of the US as independent political regions that benefitted from notions of democracy coming from England, notions of independence and laws coming from novel ("Enlightment" in modern parlance) ideas, and shared Christian belief & practice (while admitting some sects were hostile to others).
"Liberty regards religion as its companion..." -p. 44
— May 02, 2026 03:37PM
Tocqueville sees the founding colonies of the US as independent political regions that benefitted from notions of democracy coming from England, notions of independence and laws coming from novel ("Enlightment" in modern parlance) ideas, and shared Christian belief & practice (while admitting some sects were hostile to others).
"Liberty regards religion as its companion..." -p. 44
Reed Fagan
is on page 25 of 920
Exterior Form of N.A.
"The famous republics of antiquity never gave examples of more unshaken courage, more haughty spirit, or more intractable love of independence than were hidden in former times among the wild forests of the New World. The Europeans produced no great impression when they landed upon the shores of North America... What influence could they possess over such men as I have described?" - p. 23
— May 02, 2026 02:28PM
"The famous republics of antiquity never gave examples of more unshaken courage, more haughty spirit, or more intractable love of independence than were hidden in former times among the wild forests of the New World. The Europeans produced no great impression when they landed upon the shores of North America... What influence could they possess over such men as I have described?" - p. 23
