On Constitution Day, students at Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law gathered to examine the U.S. Supreme Court's most recent term through the perspectives of three faculty scholars whose research and scholarship have influenced constitutional conversations in the United States and around the world.
Hosted by Cumberland's Federalist Society chapter, the discussion featured professors Brannon P. Denning, William G. Ross and David M. Smolin, each of whom brought a distinct lens to the Court's latest decisions while demonstrating the breadth of constitutional expertise represented on Cumberland's faculty.
Constitution Day, observed annually on Sept. 17 to commemorate the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787, provided an especially fitting backdrop for a conversation about the enduring significance of constitutional interpretation and the Supreme Court's role in American life.
Denning, the Starnes Professor of Law, drew on decades of scholarship examining constitutional structure, federalism, executive power and the Second Amendment. A member of Cumberland's faculty since 2003, Denning has authored numerous books and scholarly works on constitutional law, including the award-winning To Trust the People at Arms: The Supreme Court and the Second Amendment, for which he and his coauthor, Robert J. Cottrol, received the 2025 Cooley Book Prize from Georgetown Law’s Center for the Constitution. In 2021, the University of Chicago Law Review recognized him as one of the country's 20 most-cited young legal scholars, and in 2023 he received Samford University’s Thomas W. Woolley Scholarly Achievement Award.
Ross, the Albert P. Brewer Professor of Law and Ethics, brought a historical perspective shaped by nearly four decades of teaching and research at Cumberland. Widely recognized for his scholarship on constitutional history, judicial ethics and the federal judiciary, Ross has authored several books exploring the evolution of constitutional governance and the relationship between the courts and the political branches. His expertise has been sought by national news outlets ranging from The New York Times and The Washington Post to CNN and C-SPAN, helping audiences understand the historical forces that continue to influence constitutional debates today. In 2026, Ross received Samford University’s Thomas W. Woolley Scholarly Achievement Award.
Smolin, the Harwell G. Davis Professor of Constitutional Law and director of Cumberland's Center for Children, Law & Ethics, contributed insights informed by internationally recognized scholarship at the intersection of constitutional law, human rights and the protection of vulnerable populations. His work on children's rights, adoption, surrogacy and bioethics has taken him to international forums, governmental bodies and academic institutions across the globe. Through both his scholarship and advocacy, Smolin has helped shape conversations about the legal and ethical responsibilities that arise when constitutional principles intersect with questions of human dignity and individual rights.
Together, the professors illustrated how constitutional law extends beyond court opinions and casebooks. Their scholarship reflects the diverse ways legal scholars engage with some of society's most challenging questions, from the limits of governmental authority and the balance of powers to the protection of individual liberties and human rights.
For students in attendance, the discussion offered more than a review of the Supreme Court's latest term. It provided an opportunity to engage with faculty whose scholarship continues to influence legal thought, public discourse and constitutional understanding far beyond the walls of the classroom.
As the nation marked its 250th anniversary year, this Constitution Day conversation served as a reminder that the Constitution remains a living subject of study, debate and interpretation, and that Cumberland scholars continue to help shape those discussions at the highest levels of the legal profession.
