USD School of Law Faculty Review of 2025-26 U.S. Supreme Court Term
The University of San Diego School of Law is pleased to present the sixth annual Blue Brief, a faculty review of 13 carefully selected rulings from the most recent Term of the United States Supreme Court. USD has an extraordinarily distinguished law faculty, and I believe that you will enjoy reading their assessments of cases ranging across a variety of important topics including separation-of-powers, administrative law, Second Amendment rights, citizenship, immigration, and voting rights.
This momentous Term highlighted continuing sharp divisions among the Justices. The Supreme Court ruled on cases that substantially reshaped separation of powers as well as executive power in Trump v. Slaughter, Trump v. Cook, and Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump. The Court also curtailed statutory and judicial protections for immigrants and voters in Mullin v. Doe and Louisiana v. Callais. The Court continued to expand Second Amendment rights with Wolford v. Lopez and United States v. Hemani. In Watson v. Mississippi Secretary of State, the Court resolved a closely watched dispute over whether federal election law allows states to count absentee ballots received after Election Day if they were timely cast. Perhaps most significantly, a sharply divided Court affirmed constitutional protection for birthright citizenship.
In addressing critical issues, the Justices often rely on the insights of our faculty, and this past Term was no exception. Professor Michael Ramsey’s work was quoted and cited twice in Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump, both by Justice Gorsuch in his concurrence and by Justice Thomas in his dissent.
We are very happy to share the insights of 11 of our eminent faculty on these important Supreme Court decisions. We are eagerly awaiting the opening of the Court’s new Term on October 5, 2026, and we look forward to reporting back to you in the summer of 2027 with the latest developments.
About the School of Law
Each year, USD Law educates approximately 800 Juris Doctor and graduate law students from throughout the United States and around the world. The law school is best known for its offerings in the areas of business and corporate law, constitutional law, intellectual property, international and comparative law, public interest law and taxation.
USD School of Law is one of the 88 law schools elected to the Order of the Coif, a national honor society for law school graduates. The law school’s faculty is a strong group of outstanding scholars and teachers with national and international reputations. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Founded in 1954, the law school is part of the University of San Diego, a private, independent, Roman Catholic university chartered in 1949.