The Conversation

Conservative Supreme Court justices disagree about how to read the law

Written by Jeb Barnes, Professor of Political Science, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

The current Supreme Court has a 6-3 conservative majority.Fred Schilling, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States

With a 6-3 majority, conservative justices on the Supreme Court may appear poised to hand down decisions that the Republican presidents who appointed them would applaud.

As a political scientist who has published several...

How your race, class and gender influence your dreams for the future

Written by Karen A. Cerulo, Professor of Sociology, Rutgers University

Emile Bernard's 1888 painting 'Madeleine in the Bois d'Amour.'The Print Collector/Getty Images

In Disney’s “Pinocchio,” Jiminy Cricket famously sings, “When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are. Anything your heart desires will come to you.”

But Jiminy Cricket got it wrong.

We’re often taught...

No, Latinos don't actually have less heart disease – a new large study refutes the longstanding 'Latino paradox'

Written by Olveen Carrasquillo, Professor of Medicine and Public Health Sciences, University of Miami

For at least three decades, studies have shown that Latinos have better heart health than other people, but new research calls that into question. The Good Brigade/DigitalVision via Getty Images

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

Latinos may have higher rates of heart disease than previously thought,...

US tragedies from guns have often – but not always – spurred political responses

Written by Robert Spitzer, Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of the Political Science Department, State University of New York College at Cortland

Ade Osadolor-Hernandez of Students Demand Action speaks at a rally outside the U.S. Capitol in May 2022.Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

The nationwide call for stronger gun laws in the aftermath of mass shootings in Buffalo, Uvalde and the over 200 other places where such tragedies took place so far in 2022 is understandable.

It&rsquo...

Why can't you remember being born, learning to walk or saying your first words? What scientists know about 'infantile amnesia'

Written by Vanessa LoBue, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Rutgers University - Newark

Will either sibling remember this momentous meeting?ArtMarie/E+ via Getty Images

Whenever I teach about memory in my child development class at Rutgers University, I open by asking my students to recall their very first memories. Some students talk about their first day of pre-K; others talk about a time when they got hurt or upset; some cite the...

Primaries are getting more crowded with candidates, and that's good news for extremists and bad news for voters

Written by Matt Harris, Assistant Professor, Political Science, Park University

Nine of the 48 candidates for Alaska's lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives participate in a debate on May 12, 2022, at the Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center in Anchorage. Loren Holmes / ADN

As they head to the polls to cast a ballot in primaries, voters may find themselves staring at a long list of candidates. In most cases, these...

What triggers the 'trigger laws' that could ban abortions?

Written by Naomi Cahn, Professor of Law, University of Virginia

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signs a law in 2019 that includes a so-called 'trigger' provision to ban abortions if the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.AP Photo by Summer Balentine

The Supreme Court’s leaked draft opinion on abortion rights dramatically declares that “the authority to regulate abortion must be returned to the...

How a public hearing is different from an investigation – and what that means for the Jan. 6 committee

Written by Claire Leavitt, Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science and Policy Studies, Grinnell College

Pro-Trump protesters approach the entrance to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Win McNamee/Getty Images

On Thursday, June 9, the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol holds the first of several public hearings.

The committee aims to lay out the results of months of investigative work into the...

As one of Vladimir Putin's closest advisers on Ukraine, Nicolai Patrushev spreads disinformation and outlandish conspiracy theories

Written by Susanne Sternthal, Lecturer in Post-Soviet Government and Politics, Texas State University

Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev watches the Victory Day military parade at Red Square in central Moscow on May 9, 2022. Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images

Nicolai Patrushev is one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest advisers and wields considerable influence on government policy as the head of the powerful S...

Biden throws US solar industry a lifeline with tariff relief, but can incentives bring manufacturing back?

Written by Emily A. Beagle, Research Associate in Energy Systems, University of Texas at Austin

U.S. solar installations had been rising quickly until the threat of new tariffs darkened the 2022 outlook.Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The Biden administration announced it was putting a two-year freeze on the threat of new solar tariffs, throwing a lifeline to U.S. solar installers – and likely to the country’s ability to meet its climate...