Ten Years of Short Circuit

On Thursday, April 3, 2025, at 7pm join us at the Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C. to celebrate Short Circuit’s 10th anniversary! For a decade now Short Circuit has been the nation’s go-to resource for summaries and analysis of the federal courts of appeals. Both in our weekly newsletter and in our weekly podcast. To mark our first ten years we are inviting our readers and listeners to an evening of nostalgia, legal analysis, and looking to the future, with a sprinkle of Short Circuit inside-baseball. It will star some of the greatest—and wittiest—legal minds in the country. All that plus free drinks at the reception that will follow. It’s an affair worthy of going en banc. Tickets are also free. But seats are limited. Register today!

The evening will proceed as follows:

Introduction: Scott Bullock, President, Institute for Justice

Prologue: Anthony Sanders, Director, Center for Judicial Engagement & Host of the Short Circuit Podcast

Act I: How to Short Circuit. The story of Short Circuit’s origins and what we’ve learned over the last ten years. With three guys who were in the room where it happened.

  • John Ross, Editor of the Short Circuit Newsletter & Producer of the Bound By Oath podcast
  • Robert McNamara, Deputy Director of Litigation at IJ and frequent Short Circuit case summarizer
  • Clark Neily, Senior Vice President for Legal Studies, Cato Institute & former Director of CJE at IJ

Act II: Short Circuit Live! A Live recording of an actual Short Circuit episode featuring an accomplished legal scholar and an accomplished appellate practitioner.

  • Host: Anya Bidwell, IJ Senior Attorney & Permanent Short Circuit guest host
  • Raffi Melkonian, Partner, Wright Close & Barger, Dean of #AppellateTwitter & frequent Short Circuit popularizer
  • Eugene Volokh, Thomas M. Siebel Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution & Blog Host of Short Circuit

Act III: The Future of the Federal Courts of Appeals. The main event. Two former Court of Appeals judges and a seasoned legal reporter discuss the state of the United States Courts of Appeals and their future.

  • Moderator: Ben Field, IJ Attorney
  • Judge Kent A. Jordan (ret.), Third Circuit
  • Adam Liptak, New York Times
  • Judge Diane P. Wood (ret.), Seventh Circuit & University of Chicago Law School

Reception will follow

Registration – Celebrating Ten Years of Short Circuit

Please fill out the form below to reserve your spot for the Short Circuit 10th Anniversary Celebration.

We will use your email to contact you about event details.
Your affiliation will appear on your name tag at the event.

Event Speakers

Scott Bullock
President and Chief Counsel
Anthony Sanders
Director of the Center for Judicial Engagement
John Ross
Editor of Short Circuit newsletter and Producer of Bound By Oath podcast
Robert McNamara
Deputy Litigation Director
Clark Neily
Senior Vice President for Legal Studies, Cato Institute & former Director of CJE at IJ
Anya Bidwell
Senior Attorney
Raffi Melkonian
Partner, Wright Close & Barger, Dean of #AppellateTwitter & frequent Short Circuit popularizer
Eugene Volokh
Thomas M. Siebel Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution & Blog Host of Short Circuit
Ben Field
IJ Attorney
Adam Liptak
New York Times
Judge Diane P. Wood (ret.)
Seventh Circuit & University of Chicago Law School