SCOTUS: Guns, Gender, and Race

The Supreme Court’s rulings this term will shape the future of law and policy in ways every attorney must understand. The 2024–2025 Term is set to redefine key areas of American life, with decisions that will drive significant legal and societal change for years to come.

This course examines the landmark cases from SCOTUS’s 2024–2025 Term, including decisions on firearms, gender identity, race discrimination, environmental law, presidential authority over the Executive Branch, and more. Participants will gain both a concise overview of each ruling and deeper insight into its significance, with opportunities for discussion and questions.

Designed for attorneys who have not yet reviewed these cases in depth, the program provides a valuable perspective for practitioners in every field. Even those outside constitutional or federal law will leave with a clear understanding of the Court’s most consequential decisions and their implications for the profession and the public.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify which areas of law were most heavily covered by SCOTUS’s cases in 2024-25
2. Explore controversial cases—Skrmetti (gender identity), CASA (scope of relief in birthright citizenship cases), Mahmoud (parental right to opt out of LGBT lessons), and Ames (race in employment).
3. Review cases affecting gun rights like Estados Unidos, VanDerStok, and Snope (Kavanaugh concurrence).
4. Examine the environmental law cases (7 County, Diamond Alternative)
5. Assess broader tendencies from SCOTUS—metering cases, spending more time on the “shadow” docket cases, and the increasing bitterness of the rhetoric between the Justices.