In recent terms, the Supreme Court has been asked to weigh a series of consequential cases that sit at the intersection of constitutional text, federal power, and deeply contested public policy. These include challenges involving birthright citizenship and the scope of the Fourteenth Amendment; whether public funds may be directed to religiously affiliated charter schools without violating the Establishment Clause; disputes over statewide voting maps and the limits of partisan or racial gerrymandering; and conflicts over federal authority to regulate mail-order access to medications used to facilitate abortions. The Court has also confronted foundational questions about presidential immunity and the extent to which a sitting or former president may be shielded from criminal liability for official acts, as well as public-safety measures addressing whether individuals convicted of domestic violence may be barred from possessing firearms under the Second Amendment. Collectively, these cases underscore the Court’s central role in resolving tensions between individual rights, governmental authority, and evolving social and political realities. In this course we will examine the underlying issues and outcomes of the cases brought to the Supreme Court.
This course is offered with the generous support of the Association for Continuing Education.