Ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2026-27 term, Dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law Erwin Chemerinsky and Berkeley Law professor John Yoo came together for an annual debate about the court’s judicial and political climate at the Supreme Court Roundup on Monday. About 175 students gathered in Booth Auditorium to watch the roundup, hosted by the Berkeley Federalist Society and the Berkeley Law chapter of the American Constitution Society. Chemerinsky and Yoo debated controversial topics and judicial decisions from the past few years, such as the Court’s conservative majority, voting rights and gerrymandering. Chemerinsky opened the debate, saying he believed a pivotal point in the current climate and conservative majority of the Supreme Court was the death of former Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the appointment of Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Yoo, a conservative professor known for his role in authoring the memos used to justify torture against terrorism suspects under former Presid...