This course will examine recent decisions of the reconstituted Supreme Court in an era of contested social and political issues such as abortion rights, relationship of religion to the government, gay marriage, voting rights restrictions, gun control, and gerrymandering. We will also look at these issues in the context of historical Supreme Court decisions at times of social and demographic change. We will review the actual text of the cases as well as commentary thereon. Cases to be discussed include "Somerset v. Stewart"; "Dred Scott"; civil rights cases; "Brown v. Board of Ed." as well as recent cases of "Dobbs v. Jackson"; "Roe v. Wade"; "Hobby Lobby" and "Citizens United." This list may vary depending on new decisions of the Court.