Law Professors Analyze Two Decades of Supreme Court Shifts
Josh Blackman and Randy Barnett launched a SCOTUSblog series tracking constitutional changes and jurisprudence evolution since 2008.
Law professors Josh Blackman and Randy Barnett have launched a series on SCOTUSblog to analyze two decades of constitutional change in the United States. Using five editions of their casebook, "Constitutional Law: Cases in Context," the authors track how the composition and jurisprudence of the Supreme Court of the United States have evolved since 2008.
The analysis highlights significant shifts under the Roberts Court, specifically the overturning of abortion rights in Dobbs v. Jackson and the end of race-conscious university admissions in Students for Fair Admissions. The authors note an explosion of Second Amendment cases and modifications to religion clauses and presidential immunity.
Despite these high-profile changes, the authors find that approximately 80% of the constitutional law syllabus remains consistent with 2019 levels. They argue that while current shifts may feel unprecedented, the Court has historically navigated similar periods of radical change during World War II, the Progressive Era, and the Civil War.
