Congress, Politics, Books
and American History

Melvin Urofsky talks about his book, Louis D. Brandeis: A Life . Louis Brandeis was 59 years old when he was named to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916. Prior to that he had been instrumental in the development of the Federal Reserve and the Federal Trade Commission. Professor Urofsky discussed Justice Brandeis' early years in Louisville and his leadership in the American Zionist movement. He was the first Jewish member of the Court. Justice Brandeis remained on the court until 1939. When the new Supreme Court building opened in 1935, Justice Brandeis refused to move into his new chambers, saying that the courtroom in the Capitol was more symbolic of smaller government.

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Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was nominated by President Reagan in 1981, and served on the Court for twenty four years before retiring in 2006.  Recently she and three current U.S. Justices - Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan -shared stories of the confirmation process and their time on the Court, and talked about how life and work, especially for women, has changed over thirty years.  The Supreme Court Historical Society and the Freedom Forum co-hosted this event.

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Friday, the Supreme Court released audio from Wednesday's oral argument in Arizona v. U.S., an immigration case that pits Arizona’s state powers against the federal government.

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On April 25, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear the oral argument in “Arizona v. United States”— a high-profile case about the constitutionality of state laws that control the work and movement of undocumented immigrants living within the state.

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On April 17, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear the oral argument in “Dorsey and Hill v. United States”—a consolidated case about the application of the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 to all those sentenced after the law was enacted.

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The final question today before the Supreme Court is whether the Affordable Care Act’s expansion of the Medicaid program violates the Constitution. The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals agreed that it did not. 

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On the second day of oral argument, the Supreme Court heard two hours of oral argument on the individual mandate portion of the health care law.

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The Supreme Court released the audio from the oral argument heard on Monday morning in the multi-state healthcare lawsuit. The case is Florida v. Department of Health & Human Services. The Court is considering whether the federal Anti-Injunction Act is relevant to the Affordable Care Act and if so, does the Court have jurisdiction? The Anti-Injunction Act prohibits the Courts from striking down tax laws before they take effect.

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On the Supreme Court's last day of oral arguments on the health care law, the Court considered whether the rest of the law can stand if the individual mandate provision is found unconstitutional.

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On March 26, 27 and 28,  the U.S. Supreme Court will hear the oral arguments in challenges to the health care law.

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