The United States Supreme Court justices are nine of the most powerful people in the western hemisphere.
The decisions they make affect the lives of millions of Americans. Their power extends from traitors
of the government to the smallest of microcosms, the classroom. The court abolished racially segregated
schools in 1954 with the Brown vs. the Board of Education of Topeka decision. In a roundabout way,
their actions in Bush vs. Gore decided last year's presidential election.
The Supreme Court site is a good starting point for a history of
the highest U.S. court. Read the latest opinions, browse the rules of the court and search the
current docket. People interested in visiting the court itself can find a map of the building in the visitors guide.
The justices' personal opinions have been alternately reviled and celebrated by a scrutinizing media.
Because justices are nominated by the president and approved by the Senate, they are not entirely above
the political fray. And because justices serve life terms on the bench, a president's appointees can
leave a lasting impact on the nation.
ABCNews.com offers a profile of
Chief Justice William Rehnquist written during the impeachment trial of former president Bill Clinton.
PBS NewsHour's special report on Rehnquist
has audio links to discussions about his qualifications and the direction of his court.
Sandra Day O'Connor became the first female associate justice of the Supreme Court in 1981. The
American Bar Association awarded her its highest honor, the
American Bar Association Medal in 1997.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg is one of the many women profiled on
Distinguished Women of Past and Present.
An introductory speech for her at
Wellesley College
details the many successes of this accomplished woman, who is a former teacher and opera fan.
Clarence Thomas has said that feelings do not play a big role in deciding Supreme Court cases,
according to an Associated Press article. Thomas was
among the most controversial nominees to the court because of alleged sexual harassment. Read an excerpt
of the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill hearings at the
University of Maryland
site.
Learn more about Antonin Scalia's life at a page from
Stanford University, where he was
once a visiting law professor.
Learn more about the lives of the Supreme Court justices at Biography.com.
Issues 2002 examined the justices' opinions to compile a
review of their stances on issues such as poverty, abortion and gun control.
Many reference sites exist to help students and the public make sense of Supreme Court decisions.
The Oyez Project is a multimedia database of U.S. Supreme Court cases. Read
abstracts of Court decisions and listen to oral arguments in RealAudio format. Cornell University's
Supreme Court Collection offers a calendar of recent decisions
and an archive of opinions since 1990.
The Touro College Law Center and the
Washington Post
outline landmark Supreme Court cases.
Learn more about the United States court system on GovSpot's
Judicial Branch page.
--- T. Beecham
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