U.S. Supreme Court: Still the Least Dangerous Branch?

by Juliet White ’23

Gustavus Adolphus College’s 2022 Ronald S. and Kathryn K. Christenson Lectureship in Politics and Law will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 30 in the Wallenberg Auditorium in the Nobel Hall of Science. This year’s lecture will feature Dr. Tim Johnson giving a lecture titled “The U.S. Supreme Court: Still the Least Dangerous Branch?”

Timothy R. Johnson, a Gustavus class of ’93 alumnus, is the Horace T. Morse Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Law at the University of Minnesota and a nationally recognized expert on U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments and decision-making. The former co-editor of Law and Society Review, he is the author or coauthor of four books, and provides commentary frequently for The Economist, The Guardian, New York Times, Washington Post, Slate, National Public Radio, and Twin City radio and television stations. 

“In addition to being a Gustavus alum, Dr. Johnson is a nationally recognized expert on the U.S. Supreme Court,” political science professor and department chair Kate Knutson said. “He’s also a great teacher and won the American Political Science Association’s Distinguished Teaching Award in 2018.  We knew he would not only give a great lecture, but would also be excited to engage with Gustavus students in visits to several classes.”

Dr. Johnson’s lecture will examine the power of the Judicial Branch of the U.S. government, an issue many students discuss in their political science classes here at Gustavus. “The decisions made by the Supreme Court affect all aspects of public life in the U.S., so this lecture will be of interest to anyone who cares about any of those issues, including immigration, abortion, gun control, health care, voting rights, free speech, criminal justice, and environmental regulations.”

The Ronald S. and Kathryn K. Christenson Lectureship in Politics and Law was established by the Department of Political Science and is being funded by Kathryn Kidd Christenson to honor her late husband, Professor Ron Christenson (1937-1998), who was called to Gustavus in 1969 to establish a department and major in political science.

“Our department is grateful for Kathryn Christenson’s generous support of this lectureship program,” Knutson said. “In addition to the lecture itself, we have enjoyed the opportunities it gives to students to engage with the speakers in classroom visits and over dinner.” 

The lecture is free and open to the public and will be livestreamed at the Christenson Lecture webpage.