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James Suarez Wins Hertog Foundation 2023 Constitutional Studies Fellowship

March 24, 2023

James Suarez Wins Hertog Foundation 2023 Constitutional Studies Fellowship

James Suarez

Congratulations to James Suarez on winning the Hertog Foundation 2023 Constitutional Studies Fellowship!

James is a senior at The Ohio State University in the Morrill Scholars Program, double majoring in History and Political Science, with a minor in Philosophy. He has particular interests in constitutional law and Anglo-American political history. Outside of MC, James enjoys college football, golf, lifting, and reading, and previously served as president of his fraternity.

The Hertog Foundation 2023 Constitutional Studies Fellowship is described as:

Precedent, or stare decisis, is fundamental to our constitutional system. Alexander Hamilton urged in Federalist No. 78 that “to avoid an arbitrary discretion in the courts, it is indispensable that they should be bound down by strict rules and precedents.” But U.S. judges must be governed first and foremost by the written Constitution. A Hamiltonian respect for both “rules and precedents” becomes more complicated when old precedents conflict with judges’ reading of the Constitution.

The U.S. Supreme Court confronts such a moment, as a conservative majority applies an originalist methodology different from the dominant jurisprudence of a prior generation. In this weeklong, residential program, fellows will consider landmark decisions that could be overturned by the Court and their implications for American politics. Led by legal and policy expert Adam J. White, the program will also feature guest lectures from Supreme Court advocates who will bring their practical experience to bear on key constitutional questions—from precedent’s place in judicial decision-making to judicial legitimacy and public opinion, and the Court’s counter-majoritarian role in a democracy.

This course will meet in Washington, D.C. for five morning seminars and some afternoon or evening activities. Fellows will receive housing accommodations and a $500 stipend contingent upon full participation in the course.

Congratulations to James!