Rainbow Lifelong Learning Institute

The Mystery Docket:

Potential Implications of the Current Supreme Court Term

Joshua Frank, instructor

Course description. Access to the ballot box, gerrymandering, government regulation and executive power, birthright citizenship, uniformed soldiers in American city streets...  

The current Supreme Court term is rife with imminent, fateful decisions that will affect our day-to-day lives, and whether the voices of the American people will be heard in the future. Who are these justices? How have they approached these issues in the past? What are the Connotational implications of the debates and divisions on the Court? How is the Roberts Court addressing the current challenges to the balance of power among the three branches of the U.S. government, and between the states and the Federal government? What are the true stakes of their approach?

Each week we will examine a pending case before the Supreme Court which would overturn an important precedent protecting the rights of Americans:

   Week 1–Trump v. Slaughter-–challenging the independence of federal agencies for Presidential interference.

   Week 2– Louisiana v. Callais—challenging Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act which protects representation for African Americans.

   Week 3–Trump v. Illinois-–challenging the President’s right to federalize the National Guard against the wishes of state and local officials.

   Week 4– Learning Resources v. Trump—challenging the President’s assertion of authority to impose tariffs instead of Congress.

   Week 5– Barbara v. Trump—challenging birthright citizenship for all persons born in the United States, which has been in place since 1868.

There will be about 1 hour of reading each week.

Required materials. Instructor will provide all course materials.

Prep for first class. Read two articles from The Atlantic in July 2025, 

“The Power of the Shadow Docket” and “The Supreme Court Won’t Explain Itself.” The two articles are a total of six pages. Instructor will provide the articles in pdf.