On July 9, attorneys and interested community leaders gathered across the region to view the livestream presentation of ADL’s 2019 Supreme Court Review. ADL Southwest thanks Mark Trachtenberg and Haynes and Boone, Vinson & Elkins, Blank Rome, Nathan Sommers Jacobs for livestreaming the event in the Houston area as well as Jeff Wurzburg and Norton Rose Fulbright in San Antonio. This was the 20th anniversary of ADL’s Supreme Court Review and viewers were not disappointed!
Viewers were treated to insightful perspectives of Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of Berkeley Law and noted Constitutional law scholar; Paul Clement, 43rd Solicitor General of the United States and current partner at Kirkland & Ellis in Washington D.C.; Dahlia Lithwick, senior editor at Slate; and Frederick Lawrence, 19th Secretary and CEO of the Phil Beta Kappa Society. Melissa Garlick, the Civil Rights National Counsel at ADL, moderated the event.
The panelists shared insights on the Supreme Court’s 2019 Term including discrimination cases in voting rights and criminal justice, religious freedom national emergency declaration and Supreme Court on Emergency Powers, and immigration refugee rights. The group also offered thoughts looking ahead ton LGBT Rights, Women’s Rights, and Religious Freedom. Themes arose on the role of improper motive, standing, and the legal principle of determining points in litigation according to precedent – the role of stare decisis.
2019 was marked by the court not wanting to deal with “messy” issues and presenting optics of a stable court. It was noted that this is a court in transition and as such the next term will be interesting to watch as the justices find and define their views. The panelists agreed that the justices have moved from more moderate to extreme views and the opinions and dissents clearly show that. Public perception is that Chief Justice John Roberts’ court is one that is political and polarized. With the court in a 5 /4 position, the strategy can no longer be “get the five” but rather “get the 4 and peel away one of the other 5” to win a case.
You may watch a recording of the review here, and you can also link to Supreme Court Review materials and resources.
To review the Supreme Court Review materials and resources.