Penn State Dickinson Law will be hosting Dr. Rachel Shelden, Richards Center director and Edward J. and Eleanor Black Nichols Endowed Fellow in History, for a talk, “The Political Supreme Court: Ethics, Partisanship, and Power in Early America,” on Tuesday, April 21.
Date: Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 12:45 – 1:45pm
Hybrid: In-person at UP location (Lewis Katz Building, Room 249)
ZOOM link, registration required: https://psu.zoom.us/meeting/register/l5ARtn__QFGbXuBcibsnxg
Today’s Supreme Court justices bristle at the label “politicians in robes,” insisting that they operate above the fray of partisan politics. But for the first century of the nation’s history, the Court was unmistakably a political institution, designed to play an integral role in the everyday politics of the moment. Justices maintained their partisan relationships when they joined the bench without fear of corruption or undue bias, and they remained deeply involved in civic debate and the electoral process while on the Court. In addition to hearing cases in the capital, each justice spent much of his time “riding circuit”—presiding over federal trial courts. On circuit and in Washington, nineteenth-century justices wrote for partisan newspapers, drafted legislation, advised partisan allies, campaigned for colleagues, and even ran for political offices from the bench. Through these political interactions, members of the Court could contribute more effectively to debates about the Constitution’s meaning at a time when most Americans did not believe in judicial supremacy.
Readings: