TOPIC
Dinner & Discourse: The Role of Courts in a Shifting Legal Landscape
The American legal system relies not only on sound principles but on a judiciary capable of navigating complexity with clarity and restraint. In recent years, however, rapid developments in constitutional law and shifting norms around the separation of powers have raised pressing questions about the role of courts in a time of legal and political flux.
At this year’s Dinner and Discourse, Judge Diane Sykes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit will reflect on these issues in a wide-ranging fireside chat with attorney Mike Fragoso, a former law clerk to Judge Sykes whose legal career spans policy, private practice, and public service - including chief counsel for both Sen. Mitch McConnell and for nominations and constitutional law with the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Their conversation will explore topics like:
- How lower courts respond to fast-moving and sometimes fractured guidance from the Supreme Court
- The rise of nationwide injunctions and their implications for judicial authority and federalism
- What it means to serve as a state court judge versus a federal appellate judge—and how those roles shape a judge’s perspective on the law
Appointed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1999 and the Seventh Circuit by President Bush in 2004, Judge Sykes brings decades of experience to current conversations of law and policy. Her judicial philosophy and practical insight offer a rare window into the inner workings of the judiciary at a time when public confidence in legal institutions is being tested.
As chief counsel to Sen. McConnell, Mr. Fragoso was the majority leader's primary legal advisor. In his time with Senate Judiciary he advised on two presidential impeachments, ran multiple policy hearings, and managed the confirmation process for over 80 federal judges, including Justice Amy Coney Barrett. And, during the first Trump administration, he served as deputy assistant attorney general in the DOJ Office of Legal Policy where he ran efforts in support of judicial nominations and prepared over 100 nominees for Senate hearings.
