Register Here: https://rutgers.zoom.us/meeting/register/Km-m5BEmTc-0-w6tzPNAbw
What is the Supreme Court’s "shadow docket"—and why is it drawing increased scrutiny?
Join us for a virtual discussion with Professor Stephen Vladeck (Georgetown Law), author of The Shadow Docket: How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic. The event will examine how the Court is increasingly issuing decisions through emergency orders and unsigned, unexplained rulings—bypassing the traditional process of full briefing and oral argument.
Topics will include:
- The rise and role of the shadow docket
- How these rulings impact transparency and the rule of law
- The implications for the separation of powers and judicial accountability
- Whether recent shadow docket decisions have quietly shifted or overturned precedent, including Humphrey’s Executor
ACS Election before and then Professor Garrett Epps will be discussing the constitutionality of birthright citizenship challenges and the upcoming Supreme Court docket with students. As well as being a professor at numerous institutions, Professor Epps served for ten years as Supreme Court Correspondent of The Atlantic, publishing more than 400 essays analyzing the Supreme Court’s evolving jurisprudence and constitutional issues generally. His scholarship has appeared in prominent law journals, including Duke Law Journal, North Carolina Law Review, and American University Law Review
ACS at UHLC is excited to partner with UHLC's Muslim Legal Society to bring you an educational and insightful conversation on the Political Question Doctrine and recent developments at the International Court of Justice in regard to the sovereignty and safety of the nation of Palestine. This event will be a Lunch and Learn event featuring free food and conversations with UHLC professors on this and related topics.
In 2022, Alvin Bragg made history as the first African American elected to serve as Manhattan’s District Attorney. DA Bragg earned his B.A. from Harvard College, cum laude, in 1995, and his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1999. As District Attorney, Bragg has been at the forefront of numerous fights with the Trump Administration as the voice of progressive prosecution. This conversation will explore DA Bragg’s vision for a more equitable legal system and the challenges of progressive prosecution in a high-profile jurisdiction.
We will be hosting a lunch talk with Chief Judge James Boasberg of D.D.C. on clerking, judicial service, and the D.C. District Court. We anticipate 80 attendees. Co-sponsor is the Harvard Law and Policy Review.
This event will involve UND Law students gathering in a room to watch a recording of the ACS National Supreme Court Preview 2025-2026 that happened on September 29th, which featured a diverse group of constitutional and legal experts offering their insights into what we can expect from the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court Term that begins on October 6th. The description for that preview is as follows:
Last Term, the conservative-dominated Supreme Court demonstrated that it remains committed to reshaping the law to fit the demands of the conservative legal movement while frequently using the so-called "Shadow Docket" to enable some of the most harmful policies of the Trump administration without explanation. At a time when the Supreme Court has allowed the rule of law to be stretched to the breaking point, the significance of the upcoming Term cannot be overstated. What can we expect as the justices prepare to once again weigh in on the power of the President and the civil and constitutional rights of voters, racial and sexual minorities, immigrants, students, the criminally accused, and other vulnerable communities?
In this event, we will be serving lunch. RSVP is not required. There will be no featured speakers, other than the ones who spoke in the National Preview event recording.
