United States Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito will speak at the University of Notre Dame this Thursday. Alito is the second Supreme Court justice to visit Notre Dame this month, after Clarence Thomas spoke at the university two weeks ago.
In that speech, Thomas defended the court’s independence and criticized people he said want to “destroy our institutions” because they “don’t give us what we want when we want it.”
At the start of the month, the conservative court issued a 5-4 decision to not block a Texas law that prohibits abortion after six weeks.
The unsigned decision ignited criticism and debate over the court’s “shadow docket,” where the justices issue emergency orders and decisions quickly without hearing oral arguments.
According to a news release, Alito will give a talk titled “The Emergency Docket” at 12:30 p.m. in the McCartan Courtroom at the Law School. The talk is sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies’ Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law (CAROL) Lab.
Alito will be introduced by Notre Dame associate professor of law Sherif Girgis, who previously clerked for the justice. Girgis is also a faculty fellow with the Notre Dame Law School’s Religious Liberty Initiative, and co-authored the 2012 anti-same sex marriage book “What Is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense.”
The book was cited by Alito in his 2012 dissent against United States v. Windsor, which found section three of the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional.
The event is free and open to the public, but online registration is required for tickets, which will be distributed via a lottery system.
Alito last visited Notre Dame in 2017, according to the news release.
Contact Jakob at jlazzaro@wvpe.org or follow him on Twitter at @JakobLazzaro.
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