Three Emory Law faculty--Mary L. Dudziak, Michael J. Perry and Alexander Volokh--joined more than 150 law professors who signed a letter published by the New York Times, which says the First Amendment is no shield for former President Donald Trump at his impeachment trial.
The government action at issue in American Legion v. American Humanist Association concerned a 94-year-old, 32-foot-high "Peace Cross" on a pedestal atop a busy intersection near Bladensburg, Maryland. The Peace Cross was erected by private groups in 1925 as a memorial to the 49 citizens of Prince George's County, Maryland, who died in World War I. The State of Maryland took ownership of the site in 1961 and has maintained it with public funds ever since.
Emory Law Professor Michael Perry is among the 44 constitutional law scholars represented in an amicus brief filed at the Supreme Court this week, which argues the Trump administration's "travel ban" is unconstitutional. The brief is featured at the TakeCare blog, which includes a link to the brief in the first paragraph.
Advocates accused Ga. State Rep. Jason Spencer of targeting Muslim women with proposed changes to a 1951 state law passed to unmask the Ku Klux Klan, the Associated Press reports. Backlash later prompted him to quickly discard the idea. Georgia's highest court has narrowly interpreted the 1951 law to apply only when one wears a mask to intimidate others, and the new bill's language would added "she" to the law. Even if passed, the proposed changes wouldn't apply to Muslim women "because they're not wearing their gear to intimidate anybody," said Emory Law Professor Michael Perry.
Fineman, other Emory Law faculty recognized for scholarly impact
Professor Michael Perry agrees with the U.S. Supreme Court that excluding same-sex couples from civil marriage is unconstitutional, but not for the same reasons the court opinion relies upon. "One of the rationales on which the majority opinion relies is equal protection, but, in my view, such a rationale is problematic," Perry writes. The real issue, he says, is the right of privacy.
Today's landmark Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage settles the question of marriage as a fundamental right, and also shows the importance of judicial confirmation hearings, Emory Law professors say. Read comments by Dean Robert Schapiro and Professors Tim Holbrook and Michael Perry.
Michael Perry, an Emory Law professor and constitutional expert, says that same-sex marriage will be legal nationwide this year.
Emory Law Professor Michael Perry predicted discord would result from the U. S. Supreme Court's opinion on a 2013 same-sex marriage case.
Members of the Emory Law faculty provide their analyses of the Supreme Court's 2014 term decisions.
The U.S. Supreme Court will likely issue a ruling next year requiring all states to allow same-sex couples to marry, an Emory constitutional law expert predicts.
Emory Law Professor Michael Perry says the DOMA ruling will likely invite challenges to state same-sex marriage bans. But he doesn't expect those challenges to be filed in Georgia.
Michael Perry comments on Supreme Court gay marriage debates.
Emory OUTLaw, a student organization for LGBTQ law students and their allies, will host a scholarly discussion on gay rights and religious liberty.
U.S. Supreme Court justices meet Friday to decide if they will hear any of several cases involving the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which bans federal recognition of same-sex marriages. Michael Perry, an Emory University Woodruff Professor of law, explains what the court's action on this federal law could mean for Georgia.