From Reagan to Trump: Presidential Influence over the Supreme Court

Donna C. Schuele is a faculty member in the political science department at California State University, Los Angeles. She teaches courses in civil rights and civil liberties; government power and accountability; American constitutional and legal history; gender politics, and law; and the Supreme Court. In addition, she regularly teaches lifelong learning courses for the Road Scholar program and the Chautauqua Institution, and speaks to community groups such as the League of Women Voters. She was awarded a Recognition for Teaching Excellence by the American Political Science Association in 2013. Her research focuses on the interaction of law and politics in American society across the nineteenth and twentieth century. She is currently writing a biography of retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, and most recently contributed the essay, "Love, Honor, and the Power of Law: Probating the Avila Estate in Frontier California," to On the Borders of Love and Power: Families and Kinship in the Intercultural American Southwest (2012). Her work has also been published in the Yale Journal of Law and Feminism, Law & Social Inquiry, the American Journal of Family Law, Western Legal History, and California History, and her commentaries in the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times.

In her scheduled lecture on the law, Professor Schuele will explore the dynamic and evolving interpretation of the U.S. Constitution through landmark Supreme Court decisions. Drawing on her extensive research in legal history and her deep understanding of judicial politics, she will examine how constitutional principles such as due process, equal protection, and the separation of powers have been contested and reshaped over time. With particular attention to civil liberties and the impact of social movements on constitutional change, the lecture promises a compelling narrative that connects historical legal struggles to the pressing constitutional questions of today. Whether you're a student of history, law, or politics, Dr. Schuele’s lecture will offer an insightful and engaging analysis of the living Constitution and its role in American democracy. This is an excellent opportunity for alumni, professionals, and community members to engage with and connect with a professor and leader in constitutional law.

Light refreshments and snacks will be available.

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