We the People

Civil Discourse and the Supreme Court

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In this episode, legal scholars Jonathan Adler, Greg Garre, Katherine Mims Crocker, and Howard Wasserman discuss the state of civil discourse inside the Supreme Court and in public debate about the Court. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates. This conversation was recorded live in Philadelphia on July 7, 2026, as part of the National Constitution Center’s 2026 Supreme Court Review, which is presented in partnership with the Center on the Structural Constitution at Texas A&M University School of Law. The program featured three panels with scholars of differing perspectives examining the Court’s 2025–2026 term, its approach to executive power, and civil discourse surrounding the Court. 

 

Resources 

  • 2026 Supreme Court Review: Key Decisions, Executive Power, Civil Discourse, National Constitution Center 
  • “Retired Justice Kennedy laments coarse discourse of Trump era and its effects on the Supreme Court,” Associated Press, Oct. 8, 2025 
  • “Justice Thomas Bemoans Incivility as Security Prompts Cancellation of In-Person Speech,” The New York Times, Feb. 27, 2026 
  • “Justices Hint at Strains as Supreme Court Comes Under Scrutiny,” The New York Times, May 18, 2026 
  • “Takeaways From Rare Congressional Testimony by Two Supreme Court Justices,” The New York Times, July 15, 2026


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      We the PeopleBy National Constitution Center