From Bruen to Dobbs in Twenty-Four Hours

A whirlwind day.

On Wednesday, June 22, I delivered a Supreme Court roundup to the Arizona Judicial Conference in Tucson. Towards the end of my remarks, I suggested that the new Roberts Court would define itself over the following eight days. Little did I know that it would take far less time.

On Thursday, June 23, 2022, at 10:30 a.m., the Court decided NYS Rifle & Pistol v. Bruen. And on Friday, June 24, 2022, at 10:10 a.m., the Court decided Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. These two days were among the most significant moments in the conservative legal movement's history–an inflection point even–and they happened back-to-back.

From my perspective, the past twenty-four hours have been a bit of a roller-coaster. Really, the entire term was a roller-coaster. The Supreme Court "reform" commission. S.B. 8. The shadow docket. Dobbs. NYS Rifle. Maskgate. The Leak. The assassination attempt. And so on. Yet, after all of these twists and turns, the Court held fast and did not falter. I will have an op-ed out shortly that develops some of these points.