Federal Judiciary

Live Q & A with author Barry Friedman, May 18

By Akin Gump Supreme Court Practice Group

Barry Friedman, New York University law professor and author of the 2009 book The Will of the People: How Public Opinion Has Influenced the Supreme Court and Shaped the Meaning of the Constitution, has agreed to do a live chat on SCOTUSblog on Tuesday, May 18 from 2 to roughly 2:45 p.m. Eastern.  The thesis of his book is that the Court?s decisions on salient issues have tended to come into line over time with popular preferences.  A major implication he draws is that the Court is not the undemocratic institution it is often argued to be.

Professor Friedman will field questions on the book’s thesis, including on its application to the present Court.   We will use a live chat window, like this one.  Readers will submit questions live in that window, and someone from SCOTUSblog will moderate.  If you can?t make it to the chat online, we are now taking questions in advance, some of which Professor Friedman will answer during the chat.  To submit a question, email elmiller@akingump.com.

The Will of the People is widely praised and debated.  For more background on the book, see Kevin Russell?s two-part interview with him last month on SCOTUSblog, or the Q & A with Professor Friedman on the book’s website.

Full post as published by SCOTUSBLOG on May 14, 2010 (boomark / email).