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Evan Butts

Evan Butts is a law student at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. He is interested in developing legal tools to curtail corporate behavior that is harmful to the environment. Prior to beginning law school, Evan was a lecturer in philosophy. He published articles about issues on the border of epistemology and philosophy of cognitive science.

photograph of police line with riot shields

Criminal Justice

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21 Apr 2021

Qualified Immunity: An Unqualified Disaster?

Can the lengths the law goes to hide institutional actors from public accountability be morally justified?

photograph of human shadow stretching out over dry lakebed

Environment

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26 Jan 2021

Under Discussion: The Marginalization of the Future

Our inability (and unwillingness) to advocate for those people and entities that can't advocate for themselves spells doom for environmental protections.

photograph of relection on Chicago Bean of skyline

Come into My Parler

What good is fact-checking in the post-truth era?

14 Dec 2020

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image of deep space with nebulae and bright stars

Yes Elon, There Is Space Law

The language surrounding space colonization invites comparison with Manifest Destiny and conjures images of the private pillaging of a shared resource.

12 Nov 2020

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photograph of huge crowd from above, many with arms raised

Under Discussion: A Dearth of Democracy

The opportunity to register one's political preferences (especially at the federal level) is small, and only getting smaller.

15 Oct 2020

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photograph of statue on the steps to the US Supreme Court

Ponderous Chains; or, How the Supreme Court Escapes Precedent

How can the Court overturn precedent and go against stare decisis?

7 Oct 2020

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photograph of a patch of the confederate flag

Under Discussion: The Multiple Ironies of "Law and Order"

The political slogan has long been associated with doublespeak regarding equality under the law.

9 Sep 2020

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photograph of rusty mail boxes in rural New Mexico

The Melodrama of the United States Postal Service

The political controversy pertaining to the post concerns its claim to providing a necessary public good.

12 Aug 2020

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photograph of plants growing between sidewalk cracks

Under Discussion: Weeds Grow in Light and Open Air, Too

Just as tolerance cannot tolerate intolerance, the possibility of free speech must be forcibly maintained and policed according to some limits.

27 Jul 2020

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photograph of D.C. skyline with Washington Monument at dusk

The Case For and Against D.C. Statehood

What can D.C.'s history tell us about its future prospects for inclusion and its hopes for political representation?

13 Jul 2020

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photograph of police line with riot shields

Qualified Immunity: An Unqualified Disaster?

Can the lengths the law goes to hide institutional actors from public accountability be morally justified?

26 Jun 2020

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photograph of crime scene tape with police car in background

The Vigilante "True Man" Is Not a Good Man

We need to examine laws like Stand Your Ground that protect and make space for citizen vigilantes. How can we justify their roles in society now?

11 Jun 2020

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two police officers dressed in riot gear holding smoke grenade guns

Malum in Se: The Use of Tear Gas by Police

If tear gas is a substance that is "evil in itself" (malum in se), why can police use tear gas on protesters? Just war theory provides criticism.

5 Jun 2020

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Regulating Companies to Free People’s Speech

Government's claim to be the last word on free speech raises a number of legal and philosophical challenges.

29 May 2020

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photograph of blurred pedestrians crossing intersection

Slow and Steady Wins the Race; or, How Not To Confuse Efficiency with Expediting

The virtue of patience is being replaced by expediency. But what marks the appropriate time to sidestep procedure?

27 May 2020

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photograph of empty church pews

Freedom of Religion Is Not Absolute

By what right can government officials prohibit worshipers from the physical and public practice of their faith?

13 Apr 2020

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photograph of silhoutted man leaning against boulder at dawn

A Boulder Rolls Downhill

When something like a virus strikes and jars us from the pacifying monotony of our daily lives, it's easy to be confronted by the Absurd. How should we respond?

20 Mar 2020

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photograph of voter filling out ballot

Operation Chaos; or, How to Snatch Defeat from the Jaws of Victory

The idea of "party raiding" raises interesting questions not only about our motivations at the ballot booth, but also the way we go about preference ordering.

2 Mar 2020

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photograph of classically-designed building

From Boring to Soaring; or, Beauty Is in the Eye of the Executive Order

How should we understand the politics behind Trump's designation of "beauty"? What is at stake in the architectural design of federal buildings?

21 Feb 2020

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engraving of the Golden Age of the Senate

The US Senate as Jury

What makes the US Senate the proper place to judge impeachment? Does the "world's greatest deliberative body" still deserve it's name?

4 Feb 2020

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image of black box spotlighted and on pedestal

The Insufficiency of Black Box AI

The ability to offer reasons for one's judgments is imperative in medical and legal contexts. What do we do when our AI systems can't provide them?

15 Jan 2020

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close-up photograph of Australia on globe

No Country for Indigenous Men?

The case of Daniel Love and Brendon Thoms asks difficult questions about immigration: Is the world comprised only of citizens and aliens? Can two of Australia's First People be deported for not having citizenship?

20 Dec 2019

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