“Courts are just people. They’re just men and women dressed in black robes who have no power to re-declare, or declare, the social foundation of this nation as being unconstitutional.” These were the words of Roy S. Moore, chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. Moore is a man with a proud history of defying … Continue reading Defying the Federal Courts
On Tuesday, for the first time in her five years on the Supreme Court, Justice Sotomayor read a dissent from the bench. This was in Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, the case in which the six-justice majority upheld Michigan’s ban on racial preferences in its public universities. Oral dissents, as a relatively unusual … Continue reading Justice Sotomayor’s First Oral Dissent
While ISCOTUS is dedicated to matters that relate to the highest court in the U.S., a recent decision of the Supreme Court of Canada is worthy of a few passing remarks. Last Friday the Supreme Court of Canada, in a rare advisory opinion, held that the most recent appointment to its own Bench was not … Continue reading Canadian Supreme Court Rejects Its Newest Member
The Supreme Court Justices are famous for their disagreements. Yet they actually come together in agreement on a surprising number of cases. Why do Justices with such passionate ideological differences agree so often? Political scientists Pamela C. Corley, Amy Steigerwalt, and Artemus Ward explore the question in The Puzzle of Unanimity: Consensus on the United … Continue reading The Complexity of Consensus on the Supreme Court
IIT Chicago-Kent Professor Christopher W. Schmidt has been named director of the law school’s Institute on the Supreme Court of the United States (ISCOTUS). Professor Schmidt succeeds ISCOTUS founding director Carolyn E. Shapiro, who was recently appointed Illinois Solicitor General. Established in 2011, ISCOTUS provides information, educational resources, and scholarship on the nation’s highest court. … Continue reading IIT Chicago-Kent Professor Christopher W. Schmidt is named director of ISCOTUS
Executive Benefits Insurance Agency v. Arkison
The Supreme Court will hear Executive Benefits Insurance Agency v. Arkison in January. Here to explain this layered bankruptcy case are Professor Adrian Walters of IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law and Judge Timothy Barnes of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Many important cases were argued in front of the Supreme Court in the previous two-week session. Refresh your knowledge of each case and what was argued with these articles – and not just the ones about poisonous love triangles and the definition of clothing.
Case: Town of Greece v. Galloway Next week, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in Town of Greece v. Galloway, a case about the constitutionality of almost exclusively Christian prayers offered at the beginning of city council meetings over a period of years. If you’d like to learn more about it, ISCOTUS and the Oyez … Continue reading 2013 Deep Dive Announcement
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court agreed to hear two cases involving questions of criminal law. In Hall v. Florida, the Court will evaluate Florida’s standards for determining whether capital defendants are mentally retarded. (Note: “mentally retarded” is a legal term.) In Robers v. United States, the question presented involves how much a defendant has … Continue reading Two New Cases This Week
On Monday, September 30, the Supreme Court met for its Long Conference, where it considered the hundreds of petitions that came in over the summer. While the Court ultimately grants a tiny number of those cases, at the Long Conference they generally grant more cases than at any other point during the year. This morning, … Continue reading First Supreme Court Orders After Long Conference Announced