On Wednesday, ISCOTUS Co-Director Carolyn Shapiro spoke on a panel about the upcoming Supreme Court term at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The panel was sponsored by the American Constitution Society. Information about the panelists and a video are available on the ACS website. Professor Shapiro recently returned to Chicago-Kent full time after two-and-a-half years serving as Illinois Solicitor General.
After ten years without asking a question at oral argument, Justice Clarence Thomas broke his silence. His question came last week in Voisine v. United States, a case that considered whether a domestic assault conviction qualifies as a federal “misdemeanor crime of domestic violence,” which in many states leads to a ban on firearms possession. … Continue reading Justice Thomas Asks a Question!
This post originally appeared on Nahmod Law by Sheldon Nahmod, Distinguished Professor of Law at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. Follow him on twitter @NahmodLaw. It is one of the worst Supreme Court decisions in history. No, I’m not referring to Dred Scott v. Sanford, which held that blacks could never be U.S. citizens, thereby making the … Continue reading “Get Over It”: Justice Scalia and Bush v. Gore, Roe v. Wade and Obergefell v. Hodges
Post by Vinay Harpalani, J.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Law at Savannah Law School. Follow him on twitter at @VinayHarpalani. With Justice Antonin Scalia’s passing on February 13, the U.S. Supreme Court is at a crossroads. America is also currently in the midst of a contentious Presidential primary season, particularly on the Republican side. In the coming months … Continue reading The Supreme Court Vacancy: Constitutional and Political Issues
The following opinion piece by Carolyn Shapiro, “How Scalia played with fire,” was posted February 16, 2016, on cnn.com. The late Justice Antonin Scalia has been justly praised for his tremendous intellect, his resounding influence on the law and his supremely accessible opinions. And since his death Saturday, many commentators have noted his sincere, long friendship with liberal … Continue reading How Scalia Played With Fire
Whether or not one admires the judicial conservatism that Justice Scalia advocated so fervently during his almost three decades on the Supreme Court, the Justice’s legacy also includes a contribution that Americans across the ideological spectrum should appreciate: a dedication to sharing his vision of the Court and the Constitution with the American people. A … Continue reading Justice Scalia—Bringing the Dead Constitution Alive
The Supreme Court agreed last week to review a legal challenge to President Obama’s plans to use his executive power to revamp immigration policy, and since then commentators have been weighing in with explanations and prognostications. Here is a survey of where the issue now stands. The case of United States v. Texas involves a … Continue reading Obama’s Immigration Program and the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court has four oral arguments scheduled this week. On Tuesday, the Court hears Heffernan v. City of Paterson, a First Amendment case regarding a police officer who was demoted based on his perceived political affiliation. Officer Heffernan was demoted because his superiors believed he was supporting the incumbent police chief’s opponent in an … Continue reading The Week Ahead at the Supreme Court