The Supreme Court: Past, Present and Future

By: Jillian Gregory  

The United States Supreme Court has been an active focus of politicians, news media, and concerned citizens in recent months. The scrutiny of the Supreme Court Justices erupted when Chief Justice Sandra Day O’Connor retired from her position on the Supreme Court. Debate about who should replace her on the Supreme Court filled daily talk shows, political arenas, and dinner tables. President George W. Bush nominated John G. Roberts and the process of his confirmation is in the works.

Recently another Supreme Court position opened as Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist passed away. President George W. Bush will need to appoint another candidate for confirmation. Therefore, the composition of the Supreme Court Justices will be an intense topic of debate for many months to come. Why not become an informed citizen and improve your knowledge about the United States Supreme Court?

Perhaps you already listen to news talk radio in your car on the way to work. Try popping in an audio book instead. Go head to head with the news talk radio hosts when you learn more about the political system. For instance, let's say you are interested in learning more about soon-to-be retired justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Try checking out her audio title "The Majesty of the Law: Reflections of a Supreme Court Justice". This title will help to give you greater insight into this remarkable lady.

To acquire a more thorough background on the United States Supreme Court there are a couple of courses that you'll likely enjoy listening to. The Teaching Company has a great course called "The History of the Supreme Court" by Peter Irons. A similar title from the Barnes & Noble Portable Professor series is "Shaping Justice". These courses cover some of the landmark cases in our Supreme Court's history and allow you to hear more details of controversial rulings like abortion and free speech.

Do you watch “Meet the Press” with host Tim Russert? In April of 2005 he had the opportunity to interview Chief Justices Stephen Breyer, Sandra Day O’Connor, and Antonin Scalia and the audio version is available here. Hear their thoughts and experiences as Supreme Court Justices and how the interpretation of the Constitution is integral to their roles.

And there are even a couple of Supreme Court-related podcasts you can try listening to. Check out "The Oyez Supreme Court Podcast" by Jerry Goldman. This is a bi-weekly discussion of Supreme Court cases from the past and present and insight into future Supreme Court cases is included. Another podcast to try is Evan Schaeffer's "Legal Underground Podcast". It's not entirely devoted to the Supreme Court but there are some very relevant episodes. These are great supplements to the audio books listed earlier and to news talk radio.

Plunge into the debate by understanding the Supreme Court as well as the Chief Justice nomination process. It's an incredibly important part of our political process and now, thanks to these audio programs, is easier to learn about than ever before.

About The Author Jillian Gregory writes for LearnOutLoud.com, an online portal for educational and self-development audio and video material which can be found at http://www.learnoutloud.com For the HTML version of this article complete with links to the titles that were mentioned, please visit http://www.learnoutloud.com/court01 ***** Terms of Article Publication ***** - You have permission to publish this article as long as the bylines and resource box are included with the publication. - You ARE allowed to publish this article only in free, all-access websites and e-zines/newsletters. You ARE NOT allowed to publish this article in members-only commercial locations. - You ARE NOT allowed to use this article as unsolicited e-mail or spam. This article must be submitted to opt-in e-mail lists only. - You ARE NOT allowed to publish this article on sites that contain, support or condone illegal or indecent activity including (but not limited) to hate, violence, porn and warez. - If you would like to post this article on a website, forum or blog, you MUST use the hyperlinked version. A link to the hyperlinked version can be found in the resource box for the article. - If you publish this article in an e-zine/newsletter or post it on a website, please send a copy of the e-zine/newsletter or a link to the website to published@learnoutloud.com If you would like to publish this article in print, please send an e-mail to publishinprint@learnoutloud.com. - If you cannot agree to all of the terms of publication listed above please DO NOT publish the article.

This article was posted on September 16, 2005  

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