The Supreme Court

A look at the history, impact and drama of The Supreme Court, focusing especially on the personalities of America's highest court.

Overview Seasons Similar

Created By	David Strathairn
Status	Ended
Original Name	The Supreme Court
First Air Date	January 31, 2007
Last Air Date	February 7, 2007
Seasons	1
Episodes	4
Episode Runtime	3h 46min
Language	English
Original Language	English
Production Countries	—
Production Companies	Thirteen
Networks	PBS

S01E04

The Rehnquist Revolution

The efforts of conservative presidents to roll back the civil rights decisions of the 1950's and 60's by appointing conservative justices accomplish little at first, with many appointees thought to be conservative siding with the liberal justices for decisions like Roe v. Wade. A stronger conservative presence emerges when William Rehnquist becomes Chief Justice and Antonin Scalia is appointed to replace Warren Burger. Yet even under Rehnquist, the Court does not overrule Roe v. Wade in Casey v. Planned Parenthood, and strengthens the constitutional status of Miranda in Dickerson v. US. Instead, the Rehnquist court challenges the federal government's powers in U.S. v. Lopez and wades into a political battle in Bush v. Gore.

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