UVA Karsh Institute of Democracy

09/18/2026

“When you read opinions, you can see quite vigorous debate. I think what you won’t see, or very rarely see, is for it to be personal,” Barrett told a packed audience at Culbreth Theatre. “You build in ways of building friendships and being collegial with people that are apart from the merits and the matter that’s under disagreement."

Justice Amy Coney Barrett told a UVA audience justices get along even in disagreement, but the job can be lonely.

09/18/2026

Last night, before doors opened for our sold-out Constitution Day event with Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, students from the Karsh Institute’s Civic Cornerstone Fellowship, Public Service Pathways, and the University of Virginia School of Law gathered for a private reception with Karsh Institute Executive Director Melody Barnes.

What they didn’t know: Justice Barrett was about to walk in.

The surprise gave students a rare opportunity to meet and talk with the Justice before the evening’s program began. Take a look at some of the moments from their conversation.

09/18/2026

Tonight, Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined University of Virginia School of Law's John C. Jeffries Jr. on stage at Culbreth Theatre for a sold-out Constitution Day conversation produced by the Karsh Institute in partnership with UVA Law's Karsh Center for Law and Democracy.

The fireside chat touched on legal interpretation, the role of the judiciary, and the broader relationship between society and the rule of law, drawing on Justice Barrett's book, “Listening to the Law: Reflections on the Court and Constitution.”

09/17/2026

239 years ago today, 39 delegates signed a four-page document in Philadelphia and left the rest to us.

Happy Constitution Day! We're marking it tonight with "Listening to the Law: An Evening With Justice Amy Coney Barrett."

The Constitution is the oldest written national document still in use anywhere in the world. It has been amended 27 times and is the written record of the American experiment.

09/15/2026

Today is the International Day of Democracy!

Democracy requires commitment from all of us: Staying informed. Showing up. Hearing people out. Disagreeing without writing each other off.

As a nonpartisan, pan-University institute at UVA, the Karsh Institute brings together scholars, students, practitioners, and communities to understand how self-government works—and how it can work better for all.

09/15/2026

Democracy's biggest challenges can rarely be understood through the lens of a single field of study. That premise is at the heart of the Karsh Institute's new Faculty Fellows program.

Our inaugural cohort brings together nine scholars from the University of Virginia School of Law, UVA Arts & Sciences, UVA McIntire School of Commerce, UVA School of Education & Human Development, and UC Berkeley School of Law. Over two-year terms, they will develop new research priorities, identify emerging questions, and connect scholarship with public life.

Meet all nine:

Drawn from across schools and disciplines, these fellows are united by a shared focus on democracy’s most pressing questions.

09/10/2026

Now open on the third floor of Shannon Library

Who decides what belongs in public space, and what do those choices say about our democracy?

"The Monuments: Who Should Shape Public Space?," a new exhibit from the Karsh Institute of Democracy and the University of Virginia Library, explores these questions through photographer and former Karsh Institute Practitioner Fellow Sanjay Suchak’s images documenting the removal and current status of Confederate monuments across Virginia.

Check it out today!

09/08/2026

Virginia holds its state and local elections in odd-numbered years, so residents go to the polls every year—unlike voters in almost every other state. Only four others do the same: Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and New Jersey.

Last year the Virginia General Assembly formed a joint subcommittee to study whether to align state and local elections with the federal calendar, and it turned to the Karsh Institute for research.

A multidisciplinary team of faculty, staff, and student researchers reviewed the social science literature, compared other states' experiences, surveyed Virginia residents, and interviewed local election administrators to find out more.

Read the full story:

A subcommittee of the Virginia General Assembly invited researchers to examine what would happen if the Commonwealth aligned its voting calendar with federal elections.

09/03/2026

"It gave me hope that our system is not as broken as society may tell us it is."

In the final episode of our Civic Cornerstone Fellowship (CCF) series, students share what it's like to sit down with peers who see the world differently—and what they walked away with. Sharper listening skills. Unexpected friendships. And a renewed belief in the possibility of real dialogue.

More than 1,000 students across all 12 UVA schools and 50+ fields of study have gone through CCF since it launched in 2024. Hear their stories.

09/01/2026

This year, four of the sharpest public voices in American law, economic policy, journalism, and politics are joining the Karsh Institute as Distinguished Practitioner Fellows: The New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie, American Compass founder and chief economist Oren Cass, the American Enterprise Institute's Yuval Levin, and legal commentator and public scholar Melissa Murray.

The fellowship is built to give practitioners the time and space to think deeply. “I can think in bigger-picture terms than I'm able to with a weekly column,” said Bouie.

The fellows' projects differ: Judicial and electoral reform. Economic security as a precondition for democratic participation. Trust in American institutions. The rule of law in everyday life.

But all four are after the same thing: what it takes to revitalize self-government and civic life.

Four thought leaders from different fields are working with us to examine what keeps American democracy going—and how we can make it stronger.