The Law of the Land: A History of the Supreme Court

by Kermit L. Hall

This course explores the court as a living, breathing institution. Listeners will come to know the court through a thorough study of its most significant decisions.

Genres: Nonfiction

Audio CD

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Kermit Lance Hall was a noted legal historian who served as president of Utah State University from 2000 to 2005, and president of the at University at Albany from 2005 until his sudden death from a heart attack in 2006.

Reviews

[Mary Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Table of Contents:
Lecture 1: The Judicial Power, and the Ages of the Supreme Court
Lecture 2: The Establishment of Judicial Review: Marbury v. Madison (1803)
Lecture 3: Privilege and Creative Destruction: Charles River Bridge v Warren Bridge (1837)
Lecture 4: Equality, Slavery and the Supreme Court: Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
Lecture 5: Native American Sovereignty and the Constitution: Lone Wolf v. Hitchcock (1903)
Lecture 6: Liberty to Contract in the Industrial Age: Lochner v. New York (1905)
Lecture 7: Clear and Present Danger, the First Amendment, and Total War: Abrams v. United States (1919)
Lecture 8: A Switch in Time?: West Coast Hotel v. Parrish (1937)
Lecture 9: Japanese Internment and Total War: Korematsu v. United States (1944)
Lecture 10: Simple Justice: Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954, 1955)
Lecture 11: Abortion, Women, and Equality: Roe v. Wade (1973)
Lecture 12: Presidential Immunity and Watergate: United States v. Nixon (1974)
Lecture 13: The Boundaries of Discrimination: Regents of the Uni. of CA v. Bakke (1978)
Lecture 14: The Ten Greatest Justices in the History of the Supreme Court

I stumbled upon this at the library and thought it might be quite interesting. There's certainly been a lot of hullabaloo regarding the court and choosing judges in the past decade, and in particularly I am interested in how the high court considered DOMA and Proposition 8 from California.

I confess that I honestly did not remember some of the rulings that I really should have. Most of them were completely unknown to me. I went in with little expectation about what I would hear, so half-hour coverage of each case made sense: a brief background regarding where the country was, some bare specifics about the case, the makeup of the court, the ruling, and direct and indirect effects.

One thing that has been interesting: I'm also currently reading Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen, and at this point in the book the author talks about how we occasionally brush over less positive aspects of our history. Hall seems to be fairly objective in this set of lectures, "objective" in the sense that he comments in terms of conservative and liberal vantage points, and I like that he troubles some concepts, aka racism isn't entirely gone, and Brown v. Board of Education didn't solve everything and we're still trying to fix things. He's also unapologetic in regards to some of the personality quirks/biases of the judges (okay maybe he's a little liberal-sounding there). But I feel like I have a better understanding of the history of the USA and our reliance on the Constitution, "for better or for worse."

[Kendel Christensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was very informative. It really gives you a great outline of some of the most influential court cases in the history of the Supreme Court. But the title is really appropriate: it was more a chronicling of how *the court* has evolved, less an explanation of the most impactful cases as far as our nation as a whole is concerned (which is what I was expecting). So, I was slightly disappointed, but nevertheless left with some great insights and a more informed worldview, which is all I care about.

[Nathan Eberline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting primer on the Supreme Court. It may be best for non-lawyers, but Hall covered a number of points and cases I have not considered since law school. I recommend it highly for anyone who finds intrigue in the Court and the legal system. The only point that dropped this from five stars to four stars is that I would have preferred more depth and background on the cases. That said, it was apparent from the beginning that such depth was not Professor Hall's intention. Overall, it was a really enjoyable presentation of the material.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great review of the history of the Supreme Court and of our country. I don't remember learning about the Supreme Court approving of Japanese Internment Camps, or the fact that FDR tried to get 15 judges in the court so that he could have more judges that would approve his new deal plan. Definitely worth checking out.

[Kevin]

Only listened to the first introductory lecture at this point, but Mr. Hall has a good speaking voice. I am going to assume that the information will become more in-depth in future lectures as this initial lecture is very basic appropriate for a more general audience, rather than someone with an extensive legal or political science education.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think these lectures give an adequate introduction to some important Supreme Court decisions. Due to my lack of familiarity with the subject, I could certainly listen to the lectures again.