The Supreme Court Historical Society – The Supreme Court Historical Society

The Supreme Court
Historical Society

Hitting Member Mailboxes Soon

The latest issue of the Society’s Quarterly Newsletter is on its way to all current members. Look for it in your mailbox in the next few days.

Not a member? Join today: click here.

A Lincoln, the Founders, and the Challenge of Self-government

The Society is delighted to announce a new virtual program. Join Professor Lucas Morel on Wednesday, March 10, 2021 at noon for “Lincoln, the Founders, and the Challenge of Self-government.” The deadline for registering is 5 pm on 3/9/21.

A Snow Story By Carter G. Phillips

This tale by Carter G. Phillips, the Society’s Treasurer, is a delightful read during this cold and snowy week. On January 8, 1996 he had an oral argument at the Court at 10 am but his house in McLean, VA, was completely snowed in. Luckily, two of his neighbors needed to be on the bench that day and he was able to hitch a ride. Click here to read the full story.

Joint Program between American College of Trial Lawyers and the Society

The 25th Anniversary of the VMI Case: Remembering Ruth Bader Ginsburg and United States v. Virginia (1996)

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s opinion in the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) case is perhaps the most important majority opinion she penned in her 27 years on the Supreme Court. Issued during her third term, the decision held that VMl’s male-only admissions policy violated the equal protection clause. It is heralded as a landmark decision because it went further than any other to establish true sex equality as a fundamental constitutional norm. It was also dear to Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s heart as the culmination of her earlier efforts as a litigator to persuade the Supreme Court to raise the standard of review applied to laws and policies that discriminated on the basis of sex.

Click here for full event info.

Seventh Annual Salmon P. Chase Distinguished Lecture

Thursday April 22, 2021
7:00 – 8:30 PM

To register, please fill out the following form.

Hosted by the Georgetown Center for the Constitution and cosponsored by the Supreme Court Historical Society.

Together with the Supreme Court Historical Society, the Center sponsors the annual Salmon P. Chase Distinguished Lecture and Faculty Colloquium to commemorate important anniversaries and neglected figures in our constitutional history. On Thursday evening April 22nd, 2021, Professor Martha Jones of Johns Hopkins University will be delivering the Seventh Annual Salmon P. Chase Distinguished Lecture commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment. The event will be held virtually. Our previous Chase lecturers have included James Oakes, Eric Foner, Colleen Sheehan, William Ewald, Charles McCurdy, and Sandy Levinson.

SCHS Launches New Documentary

On October 30, the SCHS went live with its new educational documentary “The Supreme Court and the 1876 Election” which tells the story of the contested Hayes-Tilden election. Congress appointed a 15-member Electoral Commission that included 5 Supreme Court Justices to resolve that disputed election. While the documentary examines the saga of the contested returns and the two sets of electoral college votes sent to Congress, the main focus is on the role of Justice Joseph P. Bradley, who cast the deciding vote on the commission.

This 15-minute documentary is intended for high school teachers to use in the classroom and is the second in a series of documentaries produced by the SCHS to focus on civics education and the interplay between the three branches of government. The first documentary “FDR and the Court-packing Controversy” can be viewed here. Documentary producer and the Society’s resident Historian, Clare Cushman, introduces the lesson plans here: https://youtu.be/37m0IUmd5Jk Lesson plans for teachers for this new documentary can be found here.

FDR and the Courtpacking Controversy

Our documentary chronicles the 168 days between FDR’s fireside chat announcing his plan to enlarge the Supreme Court to as many as 15 justices in February 1937 and the defeat of his Court-packing scheme in July. It draws on contemporary cartoons and video footage to recount the twists and turns of this riveting episode in Supreme Court history. The documentary is accompanied by specially designed lesson plans for high school teachers to help students learn about the Courtpacking episode, which highlights important issues about separation of powers. The FDR content is available here. Clare Cushman has provided an introduction to this educational video available here. The lesson plans to accompany the cartoon-rich short documentary “FDR and the Court-packing Controversy” is available here.

Membership In The Society

Society members represent 9 countries, over 85 US Courts, 75 Colleges and Universities plus a broad array of attorneys, scholars, students, and individuals. Society Members receive invitations to all of our events which include both live and digital presentations, reenactments of landmark cases, the Journal of Supreme Court History, the Quarterly newsletter and dinners and reception hosted by the Justices. Members have access to the Society’s Headquarters in Washington D.C. which houses one of the finest and most rare collections of Justice’s writings and historic texts related to the Court. We invite you to consider a membership today.

Online Access to the Journal of Supreme Court History

Society members receive the Journal of Supreme Court History, published three times per year via mail. Members also have exclusive online access to the most current Journals through our partnership with Wiley – our publisher. Older copies of the Journal are available for public access in the Society’s Digital Library. The Quarterly, the Society’s newsletter is available in the Society’s online library as well.

Join, Renew or Donate

Joining the society takes only a few minutes. We welcome your membership! Click here to join.

Renew your membership here.

Contributions to the society take many forms including direct financial support, grants, in-kind gifts, and bequests. Donors may designate the purpose for which their gift must be spent. Gifts to assist the Society in meeting its general operating budget – which supports our programs are always needed. In addition, the Society works closely with the Supreme Court to acquire and maintain art, antiques, artifacts, and memorabilia documenting the history of the Court for display in the public and private areas of the building. You may click the link here to make a donation to the Society. You may also call the Society at 202.543.0400 for more information.