Episode 26: Know the Nine You Will

June 30, 2021

We begin a series on the Supreme Court by profiling its nine Justices with an approach you haven’t heard before.  And Akhil has some news about an upcoming appearance.

.

The Supreme Court’s 2020-21 term is closing, and we are opening a window into the Court.  We begin by looking closely at each Justice – specifically, their backgrounds and how their jurisprudence reflects influences from their past.  Each Justice has their best and worst moments in Akhil’s eyes, and we discuss them.  Also, Akhil has an important appearance coming up, so some background to that event is yours for the listening.

Show Notes:

Should We Trust Judges?

“Should We Trust Judges?” Professor Amar writes in the Los Angeles Times, December 17, 2000, in the aftermath of the Bush v. Gore decision.

Read and/or Download

Clones on the Court

“Clones on the Court,” from The Atlantic, April, 2015.  Professor Amar writes on a variety of issues discussed in the podcast, including the variety – or lack of it – in the backgrounds of Justices on the modern Court; on Chief Justice Roberts and Sebelius; and more.

Read and/or Download

How to Defend Obamacare

Slate, March 29, 2012 (the week of the Sebelius oral argument).  Note the conscious appeal to CJ Roberts and the invoking  of Brandeis.

Solicitor General Donald Verrilli was grilled by the Supreme Court’s conservatives. Here is what he should have said.

Read and/or Download

Bush, Gore, Florida, and the Constitution - the Dunwoody Distinguished Lecture

Professor Amar delivers the Dunwody Distinguished Lecture In Law: Bush, Gore, Florida, And The Constitution. Florida Law Review, December 2009.

Read and/or Download

The Supreme Court should not muck around in Election Laws - The New York Times

Neal Katyal, Vikram David Amar, and Akhil Reed Amar; The Supreme Court Should Not Muck Around in State Election Laws.  Op-Ed, The New York Times, October 28, 2020.

Read and/or Download

Election tampering in plain sight - The New York Daily News

“Election tampering in plain sight; What two federal judges just did in Minnesota.” November 2, 2020, The New York Daily News  Op-Ed by Akhil Reed Amar

Read and/or Download