The United States Supreme Court is set to make decisions on a number of hotly debated cases and a diverse group of Vanderbilt University experts is ready to talk about those cases.
Suzanna Sherry, Herman O. Loewenstein Professor of Law—Sherry is considered one of the top scholars in the field of constitutional law and the Supreme Court. She often is asked to provide federal district and court of appeals judges with a review of recently completed U.S. Supreme Court terms. With more than 20 years of experience teaching law, she has written numerous books and dozens of articles on constitutional law and the Supreme Court. Sherry has done extensive television, radio and print interviews.
James Blumstein, University Professor of Constitutional Law and Health Law and Policy; director, Health Policy Center, Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Studies—Blumstein is an expert on constitutional law and the Supreme Court. He has extensive experience with national media outlets. Blumstein is ready to talk about Supreme Court decisions on whether manufacturers can set minimum retail prices for products; if investors can sue Wall Street firms accused of manipulating prices on initial public offerings; whether passengers have a constitutional right to challenge a traffic stop; whether public schools can take race into account in assigning students to schools; and faith-based spending by the White House.
Claire Smrekar, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Education—Smrekar is ready to talk about what could be the most significant school integration Supreme Court cases since Brown v. Board of Education. Smrekar and Vanderbilt colleagues Ellen Goldring and Mark Berends contributed to amicus briefs submitted to the Supreme Court in cases about school choice and the use of race as a deciding factor in Seattle, Wash. and Louisville, Ky. The briefs mark only the fifth time in its history that the court has considered social science research during its deliberations, beginning with Brown in 1954. Berends is the executive director of the National Center on School Choice. Goldring studies the transition of schools from court-ordered desegregation to unitary status. Goldring and Smrekar wrote a book called “School Choice in Urban America” that focuses on questions of equity and community in urban school districts with extensive magnet school plans. All three are available for interviews.
Media contact: Amy Wolf, (615) 322-NEWS
amy.wolf@vanderbilt.edu