Season 2, Episode 29 (Show 81): The Long and The Short of Bruen 

July 13, 2022

It’s the Bruen case’s turn today as we turn the page on Dobbs and move on to the other cases that marked the end of a turbulent Supreme Court term.  This gun case gave rise to many narratives – which are valid, which are important, and which are misleading?  We explain.

We continue our look at the big cases that rocked the end of the Supreme Court term.  Turning to the Bruen gun case, we see a long opinion and two short concurrences.  An ambitious, contentious opinion by Justice Thomas riled many, especially in the wake of the continuing plague of shootings around America.  We draw particular attention, however, to concurrences that may be the real news here.  And if this case indeed has great impact, is it in its short-term policy implications, or its long-term constitutional lessons – or somewhere else?  The case turns out, in Professor Amar’s “Princess Bride” view, to perhaps not mean what you think it means.