Cumberland School of Law’s Associate Dean Brannon Denning’s research focuses on constitutional law and the United States Supreme Court. Recently, Dean Denning has been part of numerous discussions nationwide focusing on the Second Amendment in conjunction with the tenth anniversary of the popular District of Columbia vs. Heller case.

In this case, the U.S. Supreme Court on June 26, 2008, held that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to possess firearms independent of service in a state militia and to use firearms for traditionally lawful purposes, including self-defense within the home.

Dean Denning’s first panel discussion was at Campbell University’s Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law in Raleigh, North Carolina. Here he moderated a panel about concealed carry laws.

Next, Dean Denning traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to serve on a panel at the National Constitution Center, the first and only institution in America established by Congress to “disseminate information about the United States Constitution on a nonpartisan basis in order to increase the awareness and understanding of the Constitution among the American people." Denning participated in this discussion about the Second Amendment alongside Patrick J. Charles, author of Armed in America: A History of Gun Rights from Colonial Militias to Concealed Carry.

Lastly, in San Francisco, California, Dean Denning was a part of a similar discussion co-hosted by The Federalist Society and the Liberty Fund. The Federalist Society is founded on the principles that the state exists to preserve freedom, that the separation of governmental powers is central to our Constitution, and that it is emphatically the province and duty of the judiciary to say what the law is, not what it should be. It seeks to promote an awareness of these principles and to further their application through its activities. Similarly, the Liberty Fund was founded in hopes that contribution may be made to the preservation, restoration, and development of individual liberty through investigation, research, and educational activity.

During all of these discussions, Dean Denning was able to represent Samford University and Cumberland School of Law on a broad, national level. 

“I do these things because it helps get Cumberland’s name out there and, in turn, it benefits our students,” Denning said.

Students, attorneys, and interested parties were present at each discussion to learn more about the topics and to stay engaged in what is happening in constitutional law