National Fellows Webinar

This event is free to attend. Open to Fellows and nominees only.

1:00pm PT / 2:00pm MT / 3:00pm CT / 4:00pm ET

Please save the date for a National Fellows Webinar featuring ABF Research Professor, Christopher W. Schmidt.

Defying the Supreme Court: Historical Perspectives on a Looming Constitutional Crisis

Recent actions of the second Trump administration are moving the nation toward a direct confrontation between the executive branch and the Supreme Court. Administration leaders are resisting compliance with federal court orders and questioning the authority of the judiciary over executive actions. This webinar will consider our present situation in the context of the history of challenges to the Supreme Court’s authority.

Americans have a long tradition of robust public criticism of their Supreme Court. Critics of the Court have sometimes threatened to defy the Court’s commands, and on occasion the Court’s rulings have been met with noncompliance. Yet, with only rare exceptions, Presidents have complied with the mandates of the Court. In this webinar, we will consider the history of defying Supreme Court authority, why Presidents have historically avoided direct confrontations with the Court, and the perspectives this history offers on recent events.