The Western New England University (WNE) School of Law Institute for Legislative and Governmental Affairs will host the 26th Annual United States Supreme Court Review Conference on Friday, November 5, 2021, from 12:00 noon to 2:30 p.m. This virtual event is free and open to the public. Advance registration is required. Visit wne.edu/supreme-court-review to register.
The Supreme Court Review Conference will feature WNE School of Law and Smith College faculty members examining important Supreme Court decisions issued during the 2020-2021 Term, as well as assessing the Term as a whole and looking ahead to the current Term which began on October 4. After an introduction by School of Law Dean Sudha Setty, speakers will include Professors Carrie Baker, Bridgette Baldwin, Matthew Charity, and Professors Emeriti Leora Harpaz, and Bruce Miller.
Professor Miller will begin the discussion of the cases decided during the 2020-2021 Term by speaking about the important Voting Rights Act case decided by the Court. Professor Baldwin will explore the Court’s criminal procedure cases which included interpretations of the Fourth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments. Professor Charity will focus on two cases which dealt with the question of whether international human rights violations can be litigated in American courts. Finally, Professor Harpaz will discuss four First Amendment cases which resolved freedom of speech, freedom of association, and religious freedom issues.
The individual presentations will be followed by a panel discussion in which School of Law Professors Matthew Charity, Leora Harpaz, and Bruce Miller will be joined by Professor Carrie Baker of Smith College, Sylvia Dlugasch Bauman Chair of American Studies and Professor, Program for the Study of Women and Gender. The panel will assess the past Term and look ahead to the current Term where the Court will decide important cases concerning abortion and gun rights. Audience members will have an opportunity to ask questions after each speaker and during the panel discussion.
