Hours of research by our editors, distilled into minutes of clarity.
Hear from experts about originalism—the view that the Constitution should be interpreted according to its original public meaning—alongside its main counter-ideology, living constitutionalism, which argues that the document’s meaning should evolve with changing social and legal norms.
The Supreme Court established the concept of “separate but equal” in its 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision. The Court ruled that segregation laws by state and local governments were legal, which enabled decades of discrimination against Black Americans. This doctrine was eventually overruled by the court’s monumental Brown v. Board of Education decision. It ruled that segregation of public schools was unconstitutional. This Cornell Law School page explores both cases, their background, and their eventual impact on American society.
The Dred Scott decision was a landmark 1857 US Supreme Court case that denied African Americans citizenship and upheld the legality of slavery. This page from Encyclopedia Britannica explores the case, providing information on Dred Scott and his case before the Supreme Court. Explore the implications of one of the most important cases in the history of the court.
In the US, nine unelected justices can shape some of the most personal and political parts of our lives. But the Supreme Court wasn’t always this powerful. When it was first written into the Constitution, it had no clear authority, no real role, and little public respect.
This webpage from the Supreme Court Historical Society offers an in-depth look at the nine justices currently serving on the US Supreme Court. It provides detailed biographies, including their legal backgrounds and career paths. Visitors can also listen to audio clips of each justice speaking during court proceedings, offering insight into their judicial reasoning and courtroom demeanor.
In over 220 years, roughly 115 people have held the office of justice on the Supreme Court. Seventeen of those were chief justices, the body’s formal leader. The first African-American justice was Thurgood Marshall in 1967, and the first woman was Sandra Day O’Connor in 1981.
In recent decades, Supreme Court nominations have grown increasingly contentious and partisan. This video examines the historical shift from once bipartisan and civil confirmation hearings to the deeply divisive process seen today. It focuses on the 1987 nomination of Robert Bork, the most recent nominee to be rejected, as an important moment in this transformation.
Hosted by Jeffrey Rosen, this weekly podcast from the National Constitution Center brings leading legal scholars together to debate major constitutional questions, presenting competing arguments in a balanced, nonpartisan format.
Nearly 500 laws have been overturned by the Supreme Court since 1789. The court ruled these laws unconstitutional, meaning they were in contradiction to the nation’s founding document or its amendments. This table lists every overturned federal or state law, with the reason for each.
This podcast explores how July Fourth evolved from an ordinary day into a national holiday, tracing its radical origins, the shifting interpretations of the Declaration, and how later generations claimed its language of liberty and equality.