The words are you listening overlaid on Supreme Court building

Newsbrief

Wednesday August 13, 2025

08.13.25Carlos Aguilar

Good Evening. You can now watch recordings of Legal Writing 101 and Second Trauma webinars and download instructor slides and resources.

Listen up! Justice Jackson is speaking to you.

Say It Louder

The words are you listening overlaid on Supreme Court building

“To the majority, the power-hungry actors are … (wait for it) … the district courts.”

“Why all the fuss?”

“Do not take my word for it,”

All three quotes from Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s dissent in Trump v. CASA caused disbelief among conservative commentators: How could a justice of the Supreme Court use such common language?

The New York Times argues the Justice’ shift in tone is intentional. Justice Jackson wants all of us to understand just how badly she disagrees with her colleagues—and using casual language grabs your attention in a way that legalize could never.

Law professor answers the internet’s burning questions about the Supreme Court

Watch This

Split image of Royce Hall at UCLA and the White House

The White House suspended over 100 research grants to UCLA, citing the university’s DEI programs. The Administration hoped to use the funding cuts as leverage to force UCLA to settle for $1 billion, but California District Judge Rita F. Lin has reversed the cuts: “The Executive may not set out to suppress ideas it deems dangerous by trying to drive them out of the marketplace of ideas.”

Will SCOTUS “reconsider” gay marriage?

Less Of This

Broken mirror overlaid on picture of same sex couple and pride flag

In 2022, Clarence Thomas argued the Court “should reconsider” the Obergefell decision that legalized same sex marriage.

Three years later, the Court has been asked to do just that, and the petitioner even cited Justice Thomas’ 2022 opinion. This comes at a time when public support for gay marriage has reached a new low.