In a brief order with no recorded dissents, the Supreme Court refused to block the execution of Kenneth Eugene Smith, a 57-year-old inmate who is scheduled to die by lethal injection at 7 p.m. EST on Thursday in Alabama.
“Dobbs is the product of originalism,” Reva Siegel, professor of law at Yale University, said last month. Few legal scholars would disagree. But for Siegel, the more interesting question is what originalism means in practice — and how it led to the elimination of the constitutional right to obtain an abortion.
We’ve compiled a list of events offering expert analysis on the Supreme Court’s 2021-22 term. All are free and available to the public.
One year ago, the Supreme Court had just ended a term of transition. Justice Amy Coney Barrett had replaced Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, cementing a 6-3 conservative majority.
The Supreme Court held a special session on Monday to honor the late Justice John Paul Stevens, who died in 2019 at age 99. Known by his clerks as a kind, humble, and “timeless” man, Stevens grew up during the Great Depression and went on to serve as a justice from 1975 to 2010.
By a vote of 53-36 on Thursday, the Senate confirmed Elizabeth Prelogar to serve as the solicitor general of the United States. The vote was along mostly partisan lines, with only six Republicans joining Democrats in voting to confirm her.
On Tuesday, Sept. 21, at 9 a.m. EDT, the Supreme Court Institute at Georgetown University Law Center will host a virtual panel of Supreme Court practitioners previewing major cases in the court’s upcoming term.
On Wednesday, Sept. 15, at 1:00 p.m. EDT, the State and Local Legal Center will host a webinar to discuss cases to be heard at the Supreme Court this upcoming term that may hold important impact for states and local governments.
Elizabeth Prelogar, President Joe Biden’s nominee to be solicitor general, sat through a swift nomination hearing on Tuesday afternoon. Appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, she was met with strong praise from Democrats, limited pushback from Republicans, and few questions overall.
On Thursday, Sept. 9, at 2 p.m. EDT, the National Conference of State Legislatures will host a webinar examining two cases from the 2020 term with significant implications for elections, Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee and Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta.
On Tuesday, Aug. 10, at 1 p.m. EDT, the American Bar Association will host a webinar reviewing major criminal law cases of the current term (including Van Buren v. United States, Jones v. Mississippi, and Edwards v. Vannoy) and previewing important cases in the upcoming term.
Melissa Murray refused to recant her view: The newly minted conservative court is poised to effect great change in the country.