As Member-at-Large for Diversity Initiatives, I have been attending monthly meetings for the Divisions for Social Justice (DSJ), a community of practice devoted to turning psychological knowledge into collective action. The theme for APA 2026, as announced by President John Fraser, is ‘The Consequences of Hate.’ This initiative aims to ignite a sustained dialogue across the divisions building toward a first step at the annual conference to share the variety of issues that many divisions are working to address. Essentially, it’s an attempt to share research, strategies, and insights that advance the public good.
The action item for us is to convene as a group around an emerging research question or issue that can be shared with the DSJ leadership for dissemination while also building a channel that complements APA’s Psychology in the Public Interest efforts (please see below). In addition to this project, I’m exploring ways to develop and implement strategies that promote greater DEIB within our division and across APA. Please let me know if you’d like to join in brainstorming. Any suggestions or ideas are welcome!
Here are the U.S. Supreme Court 2025–26 Docket Highlights with DSJ Themes. Issues include presidential power, LGBTQ+ rights, campaign finance, and federal regulatory authority.
Key areas of psychological relevance:
Presidential Power
- Executive orders and trade authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act
- Separation of powers and removal authority (potential review of Humphrey’s Executor v. United States)
- Tariff authority and limits of emergency powers
- Observers also expect the war powers and use of the military, national guard, marshal service and immigration enforcement for exercising extrajudicial deportation, hazing, and assault without due process to also land in the court’s sights.
Gender-based Rights
- State bans on transgender athletes (Idaho, West Virginia)
- Conversion therapy bans and First Amendment challenges
- There will be more on this one…
First Amendment Rights
- Free speech and state oversight of crisis pregnancy centers
- We can see various immigration and due process cases rocketing through the system arrive on the shadow docket
- Campaign finance (NRSC v. FEC)
Federal Jurisdiction and Regulation
- Federal intervention in state actions (First Choice Women’s Resource Centers v. Platkin)
- Fugitive-tolling doctrine (Rico v. United States)
Trust in the Rule of Law
- Chief Justice Roberts has openly worried that the Supreme Court is losing its legitimacy in the eyes of the public. Power alone cannot sustain the U.S. Court if public trust collapses and its international reputation is shattered. Mounting battles over states’ rights, politically charged cases, and shifting social expectations are already straining Roberts’ legacy. These dynamics echo powerful historical lessons, from the children of Nuremberg judges reckoning with their parents’ actions to the families of those who enabled authoritarian rule or the genocides perpetuated since WWII. The psychological question here is about the character of those who defend democracy when it is most threatened, and how our stories can migrate into the popular media for those working within our system of justice.
I’d also like to extend an invitation to attend our meetings! DSJ convenes on the first Wednesday of every month. Please let us know if you are interested any of Division 37 eventsopens in new window and we will get you the Zoom link.