Congress, the Constitution, and an Unchecked Supreme Court

NYU DC 
1307 L Street NW 
Washington, DC 20005

The 2025–26 Supreme Court term was another consequential one, with cases and legal controversies focusing on voting rights, executive power, agency independence, tariffs and emergency economic authority, and birthright citizenship. These opinions come at a time when public approval of the Court hovers at record lows and as demand for reform continues to grow.

While many Americans know the Court is deeply flawed, its role has been perceived as untouchable for decades. But Supreme Court reform is a core congressional responsibility grounded in history, democratic accountability, and the separation of powers.

On July 15, the Brennan Center and its Kohlberg Center on the U.S. Supreme Court will convene legal scholars, former senior government officials, civil society leaders, policymakers, and practitioners to assess the Court’s most significant recent decisions and advance timely reforms, including term limits.

The event includes a term-in-review panel and a panel on Congress’s authority to check the Supreme Court. In addition, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse will give a keynote address.

Lunch will be served, and the program will be followed by a reception.

This is expected to be a widely attended event.

12–12:50 p.m. Lunch served

12:50–1:20 p.m. Welcome remarks

1:20–2:20 p.m. Supreme Court Term in Review

Moderated by Brennan Center DC Vice President Kareem Crayton, this panel will examine several of the most consequential Supreme Court cases and legal controversies of the 2025–26 term.

Speakers:

• Kristen Clarke, General Counsel, NAACP
• Michele Goodwin, Linda D. & Timothy J. O’Neill Professor of Constitutional Law and Global Health Policy, Georgetown University Law Center
• Aarti Kohli, Executive Director, Asian Law Caucus
• Ilya Somin, Professor of Law, George Mason University
• Moderator: Kareem Crayton, Vice President for Washington, DC, Brennan Center

2:20–2:30 p.m. Break

2:30–3:30 p.m. Congress and the Courts

Moderated by Brennan Center Judiciary Program Director Alicia Bannon, this panel will explore Congress’s constitutional role as a coequal branch with significant authority to structure, regulate, and check the federal judiciary — including the Supreme Court.

Speakers:

• Don Ayer, Retired Partner, Jones Day; Adjunct Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center
• Damon Hewitt, President and Executive Director, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
• Daphna Renan, Peter B. Munroe and Mary J. Munroe Professor of Law, Harvard Law School
• Moderator: Alicia Bannon, Director of Judiciary Program, Brennan Center

3:30–3:40 p.m. Break

3:40–4:05 p.m. Keynote by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse

4:05–4:15 p.m. Concluding remarks

4:15–5:15 p.m. Reception