Since the 2016 election, the US Supreme Court has become a lightning rod political issue on both sides of the political divide. The Trump Administration has named two new associate justices, and many court watchers expect the Court to shift to the right politically and judicially. What do the decisions made by the Supreme Court in 2020 mean for the future of American politics? What is the future of the Court? And how does this influence the relationship between the Supreme Court and the other branches of government? Doug Becker speaks with Sanford Levinson, Erwin Chemerinsky, and Alison Dundes Renteln.

Sanford Levinson is a Professor of Government at the University of Texas. He is an expert in constitutional law and is the author of Our Undemocratic Constitution: Where the Constitution Goes Wrong (And How We the People Can Correct It).

Erwin Chemerinsky is the Dean of Berkeley Law School. He is an expert in constitutional law and is the author of The Case Against the Supreme Court.

Alison Dundes Renteln is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Southern California. She is an expert in constitutional law and is the co-author of Global Bioethics and Human Rights: Contemporary Issues.

Podcast:

 

This interview originally aired on the Scholars’ Circle. To access our archive of episodes and download this interview, click here.

For more of our audio and visual content, check out our YouTube channel, or head to the University of Auckland’s manuscripts and archives collection.


Disclaimer: The ideas expressed in this discussion reflect the views of the guests and not necessarily the views of The Big Q. 

You might also like:

What is wrong with the US Supreme Court and how can it be fixed? 🔊

Q+A: Supreme Court scuffle: Does the fight for a new justice expose the flaws of American democracy?