Videos

Joel Richard Paul looked back at the life of the Supreme Court’s fourth chief justice, John Marshall, in his book, Precedent: Chief Justice John Marshall and His Times. The Supreme Court…

Author Marlene Trestman told the life story of Supreme Court advocate Bessie Margolin and the impact she had on American labor laws. This was a virtual program hosted by the Supreme Court…

Four prominent figures in American law including Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan recalled their experiences working as clerks for Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. They discussed…

Yale University law Professor Justin Driver talked about the 1956 “Southern Manifesto,” a document written by congressional members opposed to the 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of…

Columbia Law School Professor Sarah Seo talked about her book, Policing the Open Road: How Cars Transformed American Freedom. In this presentation, Professor Seo focused on a chapter in the…

A panel of legal experts discussed the importance of the Supreme Court decision in Plessy v. Ferguson and the evolution of civil rights test cases. The American College of Trial Lawyers and…

In 1996, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in United States v. Virginia, a case challenging Virginia Military Institute’s male-only admissions policy. To commemorate the 25th…

Author and Virginia Commonwealth University history professor emeritus Melvin Urofsky described the constitutional issues the Supreme Court faced during World War I. He was introduced by…

“Dissenting at the Supreme Court” is a lecture series hosted by the Supreme Court Historical Society. In this program, University of Arkansas Law professor Mark Killenbeck discussed several…

University of Chicago law Professor Laura Weinrib talked about how the U.S. Supreme Court addressed free speech cases during World War I. She is the author of the book, The Taming of Free Speech:…

Author Rebecca Roberts talked about the decade leading up to the passage of the 19th Amendment and how women gained their right to vote through marching, picketing, and persistence. Ms. Roberts is the…

Professor John Sexton talked about the life and legacy of Chief Justice of the United States Warren Burger. Mr. Sexton served as law clerk to Justice Burger in 1980-81.

Jurists and attorneys talked about Gideon v. Wainwright, the 1963 Supreme Court landmark case that ruled criminal defendants at the state level have a right to counsel. The panel also spoke…

The Supreme Court Historical Society hosts a discussion among authors and academics on the 1905 U.S. Supreme Court case Lochner v. New York. In the decision, the Court ruled a New York law limiting the number of hours a baker…

University of Michigan Politics Professor Pamela Brandwein discussed Justice Bradley’s dissent in the Slaughterhouse Cases, which concerned New Orleans butchers' right to practice their trade and…

Justice Clarence Thomas spoke at the Supreme Court Historical Society’s annual lecture. He addressed a number of topics, including recent rumors that he would retire at the end of the…

Christopher Capozzola, author of Uncle Sam Wants You: World War I and the Making of the Modern American Citizen, examines how the 1917 Selective Service Act affected men and women during…

Professor John Q. Barrett examined the legal career of Robert H. Jackson and his relationship with Franklin D. Roosevelt. Appointed to the Supreme Court by President Roosevelt, Jackson also served as…

University of Virginia law professor Saikrishna Prakash lectured on John Jay and John Marshall, who each served as Chief Justice of the United States. In the early years of the republic, they…

Law professors Randy Barnett of Georgetown University and Richard Primus of the University of Michigan explored different interpretations of the U.S. Constitution. They are introduced by…