Our Torn Supreme Court

The US Supreme Court has been divided between two ideas of judicial interpretation; originalism and liberal interpretation.  Each one has a logical integrity but comes to substantially different conclusions when applied to specific cases. We’ll explore both views, the way they have evolved and how they have now come to a real confrontation over the 14th amendment. We’ll then turn our focus to an analysis of the outcome of the 2022 midterms as that will provide a pattern for the 2024 elections.

• Richard Finnegan is Professor Emeritus of Political Science and International Studies

• He holds an AB from Stonehill College, Masters degrees from Boston College and Harvard, and a PhD from Florida State University

• He has been a Visiting Professor at Boston University, Masaryk University, and Harvard University

• He has been a visiting research scholar at University College Dublin, University of Galway, Catholic University of Leuven, and Harvard University

• He has been awarded various grants to study at the United States Military Academy, University of Connecticut, University of Massachusetts, University of Virginia, UCLA, and Yale University

• He has been awarded three Fulbright awards, a Fulbright Specialist, a group faculty award to China, and a Distinguished Fulbright Professor at Masaryk University in the Czech Republic

• He is the author of numerous articles and book chapters and the author or editor of six books on Twentieth century Ireland

• He has served on the Boards of the Irish Cultural Centre of New England, The Irish Charitable

Society of Boston, and has been the President of the Eire Society of Boston

• Upon his retirement, Stonehill College created the Distinguished Richard B. Finnegan Professorship in Political Science and International Studies