Sheldon Goldman, Distinguished Professor of Political Science, is interviewed about President Biden’s possible pick to replace Justice Breyer. “The field would really be wide open,” Goldman says, adding that legal scholars or state attorneys general could also be choices. (AP News, MassLive, 1/26/22)

Nearly 80% of Senate Republicans supported his 1994 confirmation, a proportion of the opposing party that no nominee has gotten since — or may ever attract again. Goldman says the increased polarization puts “a great deal at stake,” including the court’s integrity and legitimacy. (Bloomberg Law, 1/26/22)
 

Paul Collins, Professor of Legal Studies and Political Science, discusses the political process of confirming a Supreme Court appointment with Lori A. Ringhand in a piece for the Washington Post and the legacy of Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer in the wake of his retirement announcement in an article for the Conversation co-written with Artemus Ward. (Washington Post, 1/27/2022) (The Conversation, 1/27/2022).

Rebecca Hamlin, Associate Professor of Political Science and Legal Studies says the political use of the term “open border” does not reflect reality. "I've been studying immigration politics for 20 years, and I haven't seen such a mismatch between the accusations of one party and the policies of the other which are actually not close to open and probably stricter than what we've seen in a long time," she says. (Newsweek, 1/24/22)

Paul Collins, Professor of Legal Studies and Political Science appeared in an article by Jane Mayer in The New Yorker on conservative political activism by Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Collins described how groups affiliated with Ginni Thomas frequently file amicus curiae ("friend of the court") briefs before the Supreme Court and how this can present a conflict of interest for Justice Thomas, who has yet to recuse himself from these cases. (The New Yorker, 01/25/2022)