While back in her hometown this past summer, Attorney Megan Braun stopped by the Rotary Club of Coronado to deliver an informative update about the United States Supreme Court’s most recent term, and issues that can be expected to be discussed after the summer recess.
In her speech, Megan shared a layperson’s guide to today’s Court. Megan reflected on how politically divided the justices are, and how delicate the political balance on the Court has become. With the confirmation in April of its newest member, all eyes will continue to be on Justice Neil Gorsuch. The Justice’s early decisions closely align him with Justice Thomas, who anchors the far right of the Court’s political spectrum.
Megan highlighted several themes for the Court during its upcoming session, including the death penalty, the Second Amendment (which protects the right to bear arms), LGBT rights, First Amendment cases involving freedom of speech, the election law (specifically gerrymandering), and the travel ban.
She offered some ways those interested can follow this extraordinarily important institution in our democracy. Megan said the best open access reporting comes from the SCOTUSblog. (S-C-O-T-U-S stands for Supreme Court of the United States.) This blog provides comprehensive coverage of the Court and is the place to go for more information about a particular case. There are detailed preview articles as well as summaries of the Court’s opinion and discussion of the implications.
Megan also referenced the writings of New York Times Supreme Court designated correspondent, Adam Liptak, the Wall Street Journal blog called Law Blog and the radio broadcasts and podcasts of Nina Totenberg, Court-watcher who writes for NPR.
As a lawyer, Megan has worked for both the State Department and the Department of Justice, including the Office of the Solicitor General, which litigates all the U.S. government’s cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.
At the time of her remarks, Megan was a law clerk to the Honorable Leonie M. Brinkema in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. She is currently clerking for Chief Judge Robert Katzmann of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which hears appeals in cases ranging from copyright to criminal law.
Megan is a 2005 graduate of Coronado High School and a former Islander Water Polo player. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from University of California Irvine graduating summa cum laude.
Megan earned a masters degree in International Relations from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar and is a 2016 graduate of the Yale Law School.
