Charles Lane

Washington, D.C.

Deputy opinion editor and columnist

Education: Harvard College, BA in social studies; Yale Law School, MSL

Charles Lane is a deputy opinion editor and columnist. Lane joined The Post in 2000 as an editorial writer, did a stint as The Post’s Supreme Court reporter and then rejoined the editorial board in 2007. Previously, he was editor and a senior editor of the New Republic from 1993 to 1999 and a foreign correspondent for Newsweek from 1987 to 1993. He is the author of three books on U.S. history and legal affairs; he is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Latest from Charles Lane

Biden is pushing EVs. Who actually wants them?

The Biden administration wants America to transition to electric cars. But who’s actually opting in? Post Opinions columnists talk about how to navigate the speed bumps and what needs to happen to rev up this revolution.

March 27, 2024

A pro-Israel musician faces challenges to artistic freedom — in the U.S.

The international reggae-hip-hop-rock artist has had concerts canceled in Chicago, Tucson and Santa Fe, N.M., amid pressure from pro-Palestianian groups.

March 19, 2024
Matisyahu performs with the Maccabeats during the March for Israel at the National Mall in November. (Noam Galai/Getty Images)

Introducing, "Impromptu"

“Impromptu” from Washington Post Opinions invites listeners to eavesdrop on our columnists as they have frank, thoughtful conversations on the news and cultural debates they can’t stop thinking about.

March 6, 2024

Would Venezuela attack its neighbor? Crazier things have happened.

Venezuela’s escalation of territorial claims against Guyana will almost certainly not lead to war. But the likelihood is not zero.

December 13, 2023
Portraits of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro seen inside the Venezuelan Embassy in D.C. in 2019. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post)

If Hamas really cared about Palestinian lives, it would surrender

Hamas’s war is unjust and futile — and perpetuates civilian suffering. Why aren’t more people demanding that Hamas lay down its arms?

November 15, 2023
An Israeli artillery unit near the border with Gaza in southern Israel on Tuesday.

What I saw when I watched videos of the Hamas attack

The video record of Hamas’s rampage on Oct. 7 shows how helpless men, women and children died — and how their murderers celebrated.

November 1, 2023
Relatives and friends mourn during a funeral in Kfar Harif, Israel, on Oct. 25. (Heidi Levine for The Washington Post).

An Israeli daughter’s plea: Don’t forget my father and other hostages

An interview with the daughter of 79-year-old Chaim Peri, an Israeli man of peace taken captive by Hamas’s men of war.

October 27, 2023
A woman in Tel Aviv looks at a wall filled with posters of hostages being held in Gaza on Oct. 21. (Heidi Levine for The Washington Post).

Blue America pleads for the Supreme Court’s help on homelessness

Unkempt, often unsafe, tent cities clog parks and sidewalks in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Phoenix.

October 4, 2023
A jogger goes past a homeless encampment in the Venice Beach section of Los Angeles in June 2021. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP)

Bidenomics has contradictions. And the UAW strike is heightening them.

The president wants to encourage a green transition, empower unions — and carry Michigan. The UAW strike is showing how hard it is to have them all.

September 27, 2023
President Biden joins striking members of the United Auto Workers on the picket line outside a General Motors facility in Belleville, Mich., on Tuesday. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

In Quebec, a warning that more euthanasia means more risk

In Quebec, euthanasia has gone from illegal to routine in less than a decade.

September 13, 2023
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