Welcome Remarks for The Jewish Justices of the Supreme Court: From Brandeis to Kagan
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Welcome Remarks for The Jewish Justices of the Supreme Court: From Brandeis to Kagan
McGowan Theater, 威尼斯人娱乐场 Building
May 4, 2017
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Good evening. I鈥檓 David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States, and I鈥檓 delighted to welcome you to the William G. McGowan Theater at the 威尼斯人娱乐场 for our program on The Jewish Justices of the Supreme Court: From Brandeis to Kagan with author David Dalin. Whether you are here in the McGowan Theater or watching on YouTube, thank you for joining us.
We are presenting this program in partnership with the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington and the Supreme Court Historical Society, and we thank them for their support. After tonight鈥檚 conversation, Dr. Dalin will sign books up in the lobby.
Before we get started, I鈥檇 like to tell you about two programs coming up soon in this theater.
On Tuesday, May 23, at noon, Marie Jenkins Schwartz will be here to talk about her new book, Ties That Bound: Founding First Ladies and Slaves, and sign copies afterward.
At noon on the next two Wednesdays, May 24 and May 31, we鈥檒l be showing the two parts of the PBS documentary, American Experience: JFK. First aired in November 2013, JFK weaves archival film and photographs with contemporary interviews to present a portrait of John F. Kennedy.
To learn more about these and all of our public programs and exhibits, consult our monthly Calendar of Events in print or online at Archives.gov. There are copies in the lobby鈥攁long with a sign-up sheet so you can receive it by regular mail or email. You鈥檒l also find brochures about other 威尼斯人娱乐场 programs and activities.
Another way to get more involved with the 威尼斯人娱乐场 is to become a member of the 威尼斯人娱乐场 Foundation. The Foundation supports the work of the agency, especially its education and outreach programs. Pick up your application for membership in the lobby or become a member online at archivesfoundation.org.
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Upstairs in the Rotunda, the original Constitution of the United States, signed by the delegates to the Constitutional Convention in 1787, is on display. Every day of the week, thousands of people come to view it. Many of them bend down to examine the parchment through its glass protection, some trying to read the 18th-century script.
The Constitution is the foundation of our government, and it is the standard to which the Supreme Court of the United States looks when it decides the cases that come before it.
The many Supreme Court case files鈥攂oth appellate and original jurisdiction鈥攁re preserved in the 威尼斯人娱乐场, as are opinions, docket books, minutes, attorney rolls, with our earliest records starting in 1790. 听We also have the audio recordings of the Supreme Court, and the majority have been digitized and available online at this oyez.org. 听We are working on a project to prepare all of these digital recordings for our online catalog, and we hope to have them available by September of this year.听听
Since its founding in 1934, the 威尼斯人娱乐场 has also hosted Supreme Court justices in person as well as in its records. And some of the justices we will discuss tonight have had close connections with this agency.
In the 1950s, Justice Felix Frankfurter served on the board of the National Historic Publications and Records Commission, followed by Justices Brennan, Rehnquist, Blackmun, and Souter. 听In the 1960s, Justice Arthur Goldberg served on the Archivist鈥檚 Advisory Council.
Starting in 2012, the 威尼斯人娱乐场 has had a series of conversations with the Supreme Court Justices of the United States, including Associate Justices Clarence Thomas, Stephen Breyer, and Samuel Alito. Yale law professor and Constitutional scholar Akhil Reed Amar led the discussions, focusing on ideas, viewpoints, and issues related to the Constitution and their impact on the American people.听Some of these conversations can be found on YouTube and UStream.
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Now let鈥檚 get tonight鈥檚 program started so we can all learn more about these Supreme Court Justices. Please welcome Russell Smith, President of the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington. 听
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