CIT was honored to host Justice Elena Kagan on Tuesday evening for our annual Conversation with a Supreme Court Justice. In his welcome, Stephen Payne thanked the CIT for its contribution to the ascent of The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law and welcomed Justice Kagan to campus for the first time, remarking that with her visit—the fifth by a sitting justice—Catholic Law now enjoys a “majority” on the Court. The conversation explored overarching themes of the Justice’s jurisprudence, spanning election law, administrative law, the separation of powers, and religious liberty. Justice Kagan addressed each topic with humor, candor, and a keen focus on how the law impacts the American public. Watch the full video on CIT's YouTube: youtu.be/EHyOy9ZDm-k?si=VnA8…

Join CIT on Friday, October 30 at Notre Dame for a symposium on Professor Marc DeGirolami’s new book, "The Constitution of Practice." The event explores the role of tradition in constitutional law, a method the Supreme Court has increasingly relied on and one that differs from originalism. Co-hosted by @NDConStudies and @NotreDameLRev . Learn more: cit.catholic.edu/events/notr…

Join CIT and Hillsdale College on Thursday, October 15 at 6:30 pm at @HillsdaleInDC for a historical and philosophical exploration of pietas and honor in the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration, in severing the Founders' ties with their former home country, closes with the signatories pledging to each other their lives, their fortunes, and their "sacred Honor." As CIT continues to mark the 250th anniversary, this event asks what those words meant to the Founders and what they still ask of us. The evening will feature Fr. Dominic Verner, O.P., James Hankins, Matthew Spalding, and Kevin C. Walsh. Learn more: cit.catholic.edu/events/piet…

Join CIT on Wednesday, October 14 for our annual event, "The Declaration and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition: A Jurist's Perspective." The event gives judges the opportunity to reflect on the role the Catholic intellectual tradition plays in their vocations. Speakers include Judge Josh Divine, Judge Lindsay Freeman, and Judge Kyle Duncan. Learn more and register: cit.catholic.edu/events/the-…

Join CIT on Thursday, September 24 for a conversation with bestselling author @lukeburgis about his new book, "The One and the Ninety-Nine: Forging Identity in the Age of Social Contagion." Burgis will speak with Prof. Kevin Walsh about the book's central argument: that forming a solid self who can act with integrity and courage in real communion with others is the only real alternative to a fragmented self who is easier to coopt and manipulate. Learn more: cit.catholic.edu/events/forg…

Join CIT on Wednesday, September 16 for a Constitution Day lecture, "Freedom of Thought and the Struggle to End Slavery," by Keith Whittington, David Boies Professor of Law at Yale Law School. This event is co-sponsored by the Carroll Forum on Citizenship and Public Life at Catholic University and @JackMillerCtr. Learn more: cit.catholic.edu/events/cons…

We are delighted to announce that Judge Kyle Duncan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and Judge Whitney Hermandorfer of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit will serve as CIT's Visiting Jurists for the 2026-2027 academic year. Through the Visiting Jurist Program, Judges Duncan and Hermandorfer will co-teach courses with our faculty, participate in CIT events, and share meals with faculty and students, offering our community unparalleled opportunities to learn from two of the nation's best legal thinkers.

CIT Director J. Joel Alicea offers expert commentary on SCOTUS cases testing presidential authority: foxnews.com/politics/trumps-…

Well, @kevincwalsh and I thought we'd get a slow burn commentary going on the big encyclical. Here's the first installment of our 'passeggiata' through Magnifa Humanitas, reflecting on the first 10 paragraphs. More to come, with special guests. open.spotify.com/episode/4sN…

Congratulations to all of our Ex Corde Fellows (a CIT & @CLHP_CUA initiative) as they graduate today from @CathULaw! We wish you all the best on your next chapter!

Last week, we closed our 2025-2026 academic year of events with "Originalism, Tradition, and the Separation of Powers" at @AEI. AEI’s Yuval Levin introduced the panel, which was moderated by CIT's Derek Webb. The event featured presentations from University of Virginia School of Law’s Prof. @cbarzun, Catholic University’s Prof. @MarcODeGirolami and Georgetown University Law Center’s Prof. Stephanie Barclay. Watch the conversation here! youtube.com/watch?v=CrMIsioK…

Our last event of the 2025-2026 academic year - today @Aei! aei.org/events/rescheduled-o…

On Thursday, April 9th, CIT concluded their symposium celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with a conversation featuring Justice Brett Kavanaugh of the United States Supreme Court. Moderated by CIT Director J. Joel Alicea - watch here 👇 youtube.com/watch?v=0ccWSkl7…

This discussion between Justice Kavanaugh and my superlative colleague, Professor Joel Alicea, is worth watching. law.edu/news-and-events/2026…

Please join CIT and Hillsdale College this Thursday, April 22, for an engaging discussion on "The Declaration’s Role in Constitutional Interpretation." The event will feature Prof. Matthew Mehan, Prof. Kevin Walsh, and Prof. Bradley Watson. About the event: 2026 marks the semi-quincentennial of the Declaration of Independence. From the Founding to the time of Lincoln to the present, American jurists have debated the Declaration’s proper role in constitutional interpretation. Register and learn more about our distinguished speakers: cit.catholic.edu/events/the-…

Now live: “The Declaration and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition.” Watch the full panel featuring Prof. V. Bradley Lewis, Prof. V. Phillip Muñoz, and Prof. D. C. Schindler, moderated by Prof. Michael Promisel. From last week's Conference, "Endowed by Their Creator: Catholicism, the Declaration of Independence, and the American Experiment at 250." Watch here: youtube.com/watch?v=4IsvIoFx… And stay tuned - every day this week we'll post another panel from the Conference!

Secretary of State @marcorubio delivered a virtual address at CIT’s Conference, "Endowed by Their Creator: Catholicism, the Declaration of Independence, and the American Experiment at 250," yesterday afternoon: youtube.com/watch?v=uN6W0Esi…