Source: The Watch
by Radley Balko
“In a surprise move this week, President Trump signed an executive order granting himself the power of prima nocta. The Latin term refers to the (likely apocryphal) medieval tradition in which a king or lord could sleep with any underling’s wife. … In an article quickly published online by the Claremont-VDARE Journal of Law and Physiognomy, academics Randy Barnett, Ilan Wurman, and Kurt Lash made the case that ‘history and tradition’ supported the new policy. … A reporter pointed out to Barnett that historians generally believe prima nocta to be a myth …. ‘No one cares,’ replied Barnett, who lost the only Supreme Court case he has argued. ‘This is a game, man.’ … Barnett, who recently compared Trump to God, added, ‘As a legal scholar, there’s nothing more invigorating than getting a federal court to sign onto some bullshit you made up out of whole cloth.'” (04/10/25)