Supreme Court

Brad Meltzer Once Imagined a Leaky Supreme Court

Bill Thompson

It’s the first Monday in October, the day that traditionally the United States Supreme Court returns to work after its summer recess.

Behind the scenes at the high court are a few dozen law clerks, the young lawyers who do much of the work that ultimately is reflected in Supreme Court rulings.

It was his fascination with the largely unrecognized power of those clerks that inspired thriller writer Brad Meltzer’s first novel, published 27 years ago, a book he called The Tenth Justice.

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Building on that simple premise of “what if?” Meltzer imagined what could happen if a Supreme Court clerk inadvertently leaked a decision before its official release.

This was the first of many interviews I’ve had with Brad as his popularity has exploded,

So h3ere now, from 1997, Brad Meltzer.

Brad Meltzer is 54 now. He lives in Florida.

John Danforth

Bill Thompson
https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.65032

The US supreme Court has been under intense scrutiny the last couple of years, and perhaps no member has been in a harsher spotlight than Clarence Thomas.

But Thomas is no stranger to controversy and criticism.

The political opposition began virtually as soon as he was nominated to the high court by President George H. W. Bush in 1991, to succeed the retiring Thurgood Marshall.

About this time, Thomas coined the phrase “high-tech lynching” to describe his experience.

Helping shepherd the Thomas nomination through the US Senate was Missouri Republican John Danforth. He was a long time friend, colleague, and even mentor to Thomas, and was eager to see him win confirmation.

That opposition reached a crescendo when a former co-worker of Thomas’s, a woman named Anita Hill, came forth to testify about alleged sexual harassment by Thomas.

Thomas did, of course, ultimately when confirmation. And in 1994 Danforth wrote a book describing the Clarence Thomas episode.

And that’s when I met the Senator. So here now, from 1994, Senator John Danforth.

John Danforth will be 87 next month.

Clarence Thomas is the oldest member of the current Supreme Court, and is its longest-serving current associate justice.

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Norma McCorvey

Bill Thompson

In 1969, a young Texas woman sought a legal abortion. But when she was unable to obtain one, she turned to two young lawyers for help.

Those lawyers took Norma NcCorve’s case to court, and eventually to the United States Supreme Court.

Along the way, Norma NcCorvey became known in the court papers as “Jane Roe.” Henry Wade was the local prosecutor she was suing, so the case became known as Roe v Wade.

And on January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court ruled in her favor, effectively legalizing abortion across the U.S.

I met Norma McCorvey in 1994, when she wrote a book called “I Am Roe.”

So here now, from 1994, Norma McCorvey.

Norma McCorvey died in 2017. She was 69.

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Robert Bork with Ronald Reagan 1987

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Bill Thompson
Robert Bork with Ronald Reagan 1987

As the U.S. Senate moved closer to confirming Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, we’re reminded that not all nominees have such an easy ride.

In 1987, President Ronald Reagan nominated appeals court judge Robert Bork to the Supreme Court. But after a contentious hearing, the Senate rejected Bork’s nomination. And now, in fact, his name has become virtually synonymous with ignominious defeat, as in “he got borked.”

One of the several times I interviewed him was in 1991, not long after David Souter was confirmed to a seat on the high court. As you’ll hear in this interview.

So here now, from 1990 oh, Robert Bork.

Robert Bork retired from his seat on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 1988 and resumed his teaching career.

Bork died in 2012. He was 85.