Master Media Requests & Write a Column with Carolyn Shapiro
Carolyn is a professor of law and co-director of the Institute on the Supreme Court of the United States. Here she talks about expertly handling media appearances and how to write about timely topics.
Carolyn Shapiro
Professor of Law, Co-Director of the Institute on the Supreme Court of the United States, Chicago-Kent School of Law
Columnist at SCOTUSblog
Recent appearances: On Point, Chicago Tonight, and the New York Times
S&W support: Transform and Public Scholars with Anne; Book Development with Daniela
Q&A
As an expert on the U.S. Supreme Court you field a flood of media requests each June. What’s your advice for academics who are new to journalist queries, TV, and radio?
The best advice I've received is to decide what you want to convey ahead of time and say it even if you don't get asked a direct question that calls for it. Even better if you can formulate ahead of time how you want to say it so you don't get tongue-tied—as I sometimes do. It's also helpful to watch or listen to yourself afterwards. Sometimes that's a little painful, but doing that has helped me improve how I present myself.
You write a regular column for SCOTUSblog. What are the benefits of having a standing space to write about what's on your mind?
A big part of my job is to pay close attention to what the Supreme Court is doing and analyze it. Having a column lets me develop my thoughts in real time, make connections across developments, and stake out claims as my own. For example, I've written several columns on the Court's recent voting rights decisions. I wrote the first when the Court ruled on the shadow docket in a New York case, before its big Louisiana v. Callais opinion. The column allowed me to suggest immediately that Justice Alito might be tipping his hand or trying to lock in votes for his desired outcome in Callais.
Any insights for people trying to write books about fast-moving, constantly evolving issues?
I'm trying to figure out the answer to this question in real time! Obviously, you have to be prepared to shift as needed. You can also remind your readers that you are writing in a particular moment. Right now, I'm reading Roe: The History of a National Obsession by Mary Ziegler. The book talks about what might happen if Roe is overruled and about how the Supreme Court appeared prepared to do that in Dobbs, which was pending while Ziegler was writing. In her Epilogue, titled “Roe after the Overruling,” she says: "There is a better-than-even chance that it has happened by the time you read these words.”
Bonus: What do you wish we had asked you?
I like to talk about why I do the work I do. Law affects our lives in numerous ways, often in ways people don't realize. And courts and lawyers sometimes speak in ways that, deliberately or not, make it hard for nonlawyers to understand. I like being able to make some of the most important legal developments in our country accessible to the general public and explore their implications going forward. I hope that having that information helps people be engaged, active members of our democracy.
