Former NBC News Supreme Court correspondent Pete Williams and legal analyst Sarah Isgur will headline a public conversation on the changing role of the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday, March 26, at 7 p.m. at John Carroll University.
The event, titled “The 6–3 Split: How the Supreme Court Is Reshaping Federal Power,” will take place in the Dolan Center for Science & Technology, Donahue Auditorium, and is free and open to the public.
The discussion will examine the implications of the Court’s recurring 6–3 decisions and what they suggest about the Court’s evolving influence over federal authority and national policymaking. The conversation will be moderated by Dr. Colin Swearingen, chair of the Department of Political Science at John Carroll University.
“The Supreme Court of the United States is increasingly at the center of debates about who governs in America,” said Dr. Brent Brossmann, chair of John Carroll University’s Tim Russert Department of Communication. “The pattern of 6–3 decisions reflects a Court that is actively redefining the boundaries of federal authority and the role of the judiciary in shaping national policy.”
Williams spent 29 years at NBC News as a correspondent covering the U.S. Supreme Court and the Department of Justice, becoming one of the nation’s most respected journalists reporting on the federal courts and legal affairs. During his career, he was nominated for 11 Emmy Awards for his reporting.
Isgur is a prominent legal commentator and political analyst. She is the co-host, alongside David French, of the widely followed “Advisory Opinions” podcast from The Dispatch, where they analyze Supreme Court cases and constitutional debates. Isgur previously served as a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Justice and is an ABC News political commentator. Her forthcoming book on the Supreme Court, Last Branch Standing, will be released on April 14, 2026.
The event is sponsored by Comcast, the Tim Russert Department of Communication, and the Department of Political Science at John Carroll University.
The program is part of John Carroll University’s commitment to fostering informed public dialogue on the most pressing issues in American politics, governance, and communication.
Event Details:
- Title: “The 6–3 Split: How the Supreme Court Is Reshaping Federal Power”
- Date: Thursday, March 26, 2026
- Time: 7:00 p.m.
- Location: 1 John Carroll Blvd. University Heights, Ohio, 44118 (located within the Dolan Center for Science & Technology, Donahue Auditorium)
- Cost: Free and open to the public
