Daniel J. Urman

The Supreme Court is opening up the phone lines. Here’s what to listen for.

The court will hear arguments by telephone to comply with public health guidelines in response to COVID-19. For the first time, the public can listen live, and we might see that the justices are “human, just like us,” says legal scholar Dan Urman.

by Molly Callahan May 1, 2020

Here’s what’s next for the Alabama abortion law

The most restrictive anti-abortion bill in the nation has been signed into law in Alabama, but stands little chance of overturning a person’s constitutional right to abortion established by Roe v. Wade, say two legal scholars at Northeastern University.

by Molly Callahan May 17, 2019

What’s next for the Mueller investigation?

Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation could play out in three plausible ways now that President Donald Trump has fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions, said two Northeastern law professors.

by Molly Callahan November 8, 2018

Four things to watch for during Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings

Tuesday is the first day of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s Senate confirmation hearings. “A particularly disastrous or a particularly strong” performance by Kavanaugh could sway the senators who are still on the fence about which way they’ll vote, said Dan Urman, who teaches a Northeastern course on the Supreme Court.

by Molly Callahan September 3, 2018

Trump’s Supreme Court choice would tilt America dramatically to the right

The balance of power in the Supreme Court will lurch dramatically to the right with the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh, says Supreme Court expert Dan Urman. Kavanaugh’s position that sitting presidents should be shielded from prosecution may have been the persuading argument for President Trump’s selection, he says.

by Bill Ibelle July 10, 2018

What Justice Kennedy’s retirement means for the country

Justice Anthony Kennedy on Wednesday announced he will retire from the nation’s highest court at the end of July. Supreme Court experts Dan Urman and Michael Meltsner weigh in on what it means for the future of the court and whether political conflict is inevitable in the nomination process.

by Greg St. Martin June 27, 2018

‘Is this a case about cake or about the people trying to buy a cake?’

The cake issue is solved. But questions about the reaches of protections for religious freedom versus protections for gay rights remain wide open. The Supreme Court on Monday ruled 7-2 in favor of a Colorado baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. The ruling, however, still leaves a major question unanswered, according to law professor Dan Urman: “Is this a case about cake or about the people trying to buy a cake?”

by Molly Callahan June 5, 2018

Cases to watch in Supreme Court’s blockbuster new term

The Supreme Court will be busy this term, hearing cases on voting rights, the First Amendment and discrimination, collective bargaining, and privacy in the age of cellphones. We asked legal scholars Dan Urman and Michael Meltsner to weigh in on which cases they’re watching, and both said Justice Kennedy may tip the scales in a number of significant ones.

by Molly Callahan October 12, 2017

The history of affirmative action in America

News last week that the Justice Department may investigate some college admissions programs reignited a debate about affirmative action. We asked the School of Law’s Dan Urman to explain the history behind the policy. “Throughout the years, affirmative action has been defined to include a lot of different things, and that’s part of what makes it so contentious,” he said.

by Molly Callahan August 11, 2017

How partisan battle over Neil Gorsuch could impact Senate, Supreme Court

Democrats and Republicans are headed toward a showdown on the Senate floor Thursday over President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee. We asked faculty member Dan Urman, a law and public policy expert, to explain how this political drama might impact the Senate, the Supreme Court, and the 2018 midterm elections.

by Jason Kornwitz April 6, 2017

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