Pratik Shah Looks Back and Looks Forward at Supreme Court Terms

Pratik Shah, head of Akin Gump’s Supreme Court practice, is quoted in The National Law Journal article “The Year in Quotes: Dishing About the Supreme Court.” The article provides observations on the past year from some of the “leading lights of the Supreme Court bar” and includes some predictions on how the Court might rule on cases in the coming year.

Shah notes that in 2013, “we arguable saw a more ‘activist’ Supreme Court, whether measured from a liberal perspective (striking down part of the Voting Rights Act) or a conservative perspective (striking down part of the Defense of Marriage Act).” In the coming year, he adds, “a significant question will be whether the court continues to follow that arc—such as in cases involving federal campaign contribution limits, the contraception mandate in the health care law, and Congress’ treaty power—or whether it takes a less bold approach.”