Institute on the Supreme Court of the United States
Founded in 2011, Chicago-Kent's Institute on the Supreme Court of the United States (ISCOTUS) combines the law school's core strengths: cutting-edge legal scholarship and technological innovation. ISCOTUS has three main components:
NEW: Visit the ISCOTUS/Oyez "Deep Dive" on same-sex marriage cases, a microsite presenting information about Hollingsworth v. Perry and United States v. Windsor, the two same-sex marriage cases heard by the U.S. Supreme Court on March 26 and 27, 2013. Video commentaries include:
- perspectives from activists on both sides of the same-sex marriage debate
- background on California's Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)
- historical analysis of the Court's review of same-sex marriage
- discussion of legal issues relating to standing and jurisdiction, equal protection as it applies to Proposition 8, and equal protection as it applies to DOMA
In addition, a rich timeline provides links to the legislation being challenged; to complaints, briefs, oral arguments and judicial opinions from the lower courts; and to the numerous petitions and briefs being considered by the Supreme Court in Hollingsworth v. Perry and United States v. Windsor.
ISCOTUS Leadership
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Carolyn ShapiroAssociate Professor of Law and Director of |
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Jerry GoldmanResearch Professor of Law and Director of the Oyez Project |
Academic Center
Chicago-Kent College of Law is home to a community of scholars who study the United States Supreme Court and its jurisprudence, with expertise ranging from intellectual property law to constitutional law to empirical scholarship. Many Chicago-Kent faculty also argue and brief cases on behalf of both parties and amici. ISCOTUS builds on this foundation and will offer new opportunities, such as law review symposia, public lectures and continuing legal education, to showcase the significant intellectual contributions of Chicago-Kent's faculty. Through ISCOTUS, Chicago-Kent students will learn from appellate advocates with experience in the Court and from prominent jurists.
On September 12, 2011, ISCOTUS held its inaugural program, welcoming United States Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer to discuss themes from his book Making Our Democracy Work—A Judge's Perspective. Justice Breyer's thought-provoking presentation to students, faculty, alumni and friends culminated with an audience Q&A session.
The entire 90-minute event is available for viewing in a playlist on Chicago-Kent's YouTube channel.
Oyez Project
The Oyez Project, which came to Chicago-Kent in 2011, leverages information technology to make materials related to the Supreme Court instantly accessible around the world. The website, www.oyez.org, which has tens of thousands of visitors a day, provides immediate access to nearly 10,000 hours of courtroom audio and is adding merits briefs and amici briefs to its already comprehensive database.
The Oyez Project's goal is to become the authoritative clearinghouse for information about the Supreme Court. At the same time, the Oyez Project continues to leverage new technology with the release of its free app, ISCOTUSnow, for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices, giving users easy and interactive multimedia access to the Court's work.
Civic Education Project
ISCOTUS merges its academic and technological dimensions to promote public education about the Supreme Court and its role in our constitutional system of government. Over time, activities of the Civic Education Project may include outreach to the media about current Supreme Court cases and conferences oriented toward educators to provide them with both useful technologies and substantive materials about the Supreme Court.