Rachel A. Shelden — The Political Supreme Court: A Forgotten History - with Steve Vladeck — at Conn Ave
Rachel A. Shelden discusses *The Political Supreme Court: A Forgotten History*, a study of the Supreme Court’s first century and its deeply political character. Shelden argues that nineteenth-century justices were not expected to remain separate from partisan life: they wrote for political newspapers, helped draft legislation, advised allies, campaigned for colleagues, ran for office, and participated in civic and electoral debates while serving on the bench.
The book also examines the justices’ work “riding circuit,” when they traveled beyond Washington to preside over federal trial courts, and explains how their political engagement helped shape arguments about the Constitution before the idea of judicial supremacy became widely accepted. Shelden traces the later transformation of the Court and the legal profession into a more formally apolitical institution, laying the groundwork for the more powerful yet more isolated Supreme Court of today. She will be joined in conversation by Stephen I. Vladeck.
When: October 26, 2026
Showtime: 7:00 p.m.
Venue: Politics and Prose at 5015 Connecticut Avenue NW, 5015 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008
Lineup: Rachel A. Shelden, associate professor of history and director of the George and Ann Richards Civil War Era Center at Penn State University, in conversation with Stephen I. Vladeck, the Agnes Williams Sesquicentennial Professor of Federal Courts at Georgetown University Law Center.
About Rachel A. Shelden: Shelden is a scholar of nineteenth-century America and a member of the Historians Council on the Constitution at the Brennan Center for Justice.
About Stephen I. Vladeck: Vladeck specializes in the Supreme Court, federal courts, national security law, and military justice. He is the author of *The Shadow Docket: How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic* and writes the weekly One First newsletter. He is also CNN’s Supreme Court analyst and holds the National Institute of Military Justice’s Professor Edmund Morgan Chair in Military Justice. His book *The Court We Need: What’s Really Wrong With the Supreme Court—and How to Fix It* is listed as forthcoming from Viking Books.
Tickets: Free
Seating: First come, first served.
Accessibility: To request accommodations or ask about accessibility, email events@politics-prose.com, ideally at least one week before the event. The venue will make an effort to accommodate requests received up to the event time.
Featured book: *The Political Supreme Court: A Forgotten History* by Rachel A. Shelden, a hardcover edition published by W. Hodding Carter III Books.
Book price: The featured book is listed for preorder at $35.00 and has a publication date of October 27, 2026.