Study Group Details

This study group will explore the important cases and decisions that continue to be made by the Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts. Presentation material and discussion will focus on the major Constitutional issues being decided by a clearly activist and divided court: election reform, health care, gun control, diversity, equality, climate change, the environment, religion, and presidential power. We will focus on the historical and political background of these issues and the legal philosophies of the justices, along with the procedural mysteries of this, the least well-known of our three branches of government. We will read The Supreme Court: A Very Short Introduction by Linda Greenhouse and The Oath: The Obama White House and the Supreme Court by Jeffrey Toobin, along with articles on recent cases.