Our Constitution: A Conversation

In the summer of 1787, delegates to the Constitutional Convention gathered in Philadelphia to create a document that would establish the government of the United States. On September 17, that landmark document – our Constitution – was signed into law. This conversation on the Constitution, featuring Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Stephen Breyer in a dialogue with Pennsylvania high school students at the Supreme Court in 2005, is the first in a series produced by the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands for use in classrooms on Constitution Day. Length: 30 minutes
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A Conversation on the Constitution: Judicial Independence

Judicial independence is a cornerstone of democracy, guaranteed by the Constitution and enshrined in our system of government. In a conversation with students from California and Pennsylvania, three Supreme Court Justices – Sandra Day O’Connor, Stephen Breyer and Anthony Kennedy – discuss the Constitution and the role of judges who are sworn to uphold the laws of this nation and to protect the rights of all citizens. Taped at the Supreme Court in 2006. Length: 32 minutes
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A Conversation on the Constitution with Justices Stephen G. Breyer, Sandra Day O’Connor, and Anthony M. Kennedy: The Importance of the Japanese Internment Cases

After the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the U.S. government sent individuals of Japanese ancestry on the West Coast to internment camps. The Hirabayashi and Korematsu cases challenged the government’s right to restrict the liberty of this population of citizens and noncitizens. The Supreme Court upheld the government’s actions in each case. Three Supreme Court Justices discuss these landmark cases—specifically, the balance the court tries to strike between individual rights and national security in times of war in light of the Constitution’s provision that “No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.”  Length: 36 minutes   

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A Conversation with Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. on the Origin, Nature, and Importance of the Supreme Court

The establishment of a federal judiciary was a top priority for this nation’s founding fathers. In December 2006, Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts, Jr. and a group of high school students participated in a conversation about the high court – from its history and evolution to the methods Justices use in selecting and hearing cases to the role of an independent judiciary and other issues crucial to a healthy democracy today. Length: 37 minutes

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A Conversation on the Constitution with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Fourteenth Amendment

Incorporating three integral constitutional tenets – due process, equal protection and privileges and immunities – the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was originally intended to secure rights for former slaves, but over the years it has been expanded to protect all persons. In December 2006, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and a group of students gathered at the Supreme Court to discuss the importance of the Fourteenth Amendment and how it came to embody and protect the principle of “We the People.” Length: 42 minutes

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A Conversation on the Constitution with Justice Anthony M. Kennedy: The Importance of the Yick Wo Case

The Supreme Court unanimously ruled in the 1886 Yick Wo v. Hopkins case that the unequal application of a law violated the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause and consequently the rights of a Chinese immigrant. In this video, Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy discusses the Court’s groundbreaking decision and the protection that the Fourteenth Amendment provides for any “person”—whether an American citizen or not.  Length: 30 minutes  
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A Conversation on the Constitution with Justices Stephen G. Breyer and Antonin Scalia: Judicial Interpretation

How do Justices of the Supreme Court decide what the provisions of the Constitution mean? In November 2007, Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Stephen Breyer gathered with students to discuss differing theories of judicial interpretation and how they affect not only the outcomes of cases but our democracy and daily lives.  Length: 37 minutes     
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The Constitution in Context

The Constitution Project assembled a panel of constitutional scholars and legals experts to discuss issues raised by the Justices in our videos. Here, presented, are a number of excerpts from Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Chief Justice John G. Roberts, each followed by an analysis and commentary from the panel. You can also choose to view just the commentary.

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The Constitution Project: One Person, One Vote

In a series of landmark decisions in the 1960s, the Supreme Court established the principle of one person, one vote. In this documentary, Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Stephen Breyer and other experts discuss the political environment that generated the decisions in Baker v. Carr and Reynolds v. Sims and the Court’s application of the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment in deciding reapportionment cases. Length: 26 minutes      
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The Constitution Project: An Independent Judiciary

This film chronicles two key moments that defined our understanding of the role of the judiciary: the Cherokee Nation’s struggles before the Supreme Court in the 1830s to preserve its homeland, and Cooper v. Aaron, the 1958 Supreme Court case that affirmed that states were bound to follow the Court’s order to integrate their schools.An Independent Judiciary features Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and some of the nation’s leading Constitutional scholars. Length: 34 minutes

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Key Constitutional Concepts

These three 20-minute video segments examine key constitutional concepts. The first explains why the nation’s framers created the Constitution. The second describes the protection of individual rights by highlighting the Supreme Court case of Gideon v. Wainwright, affirming the right to an attorney. The last explores the separation of powers using the Supreme Court case of Youngstown v. Sawyer, a challenge to President Truman’s decision to take over steel mills during the Korean War. Length: 62 minutes

Mandate

Narrated by veteran CBS News correspondent Lesley Stahl, Mandate examines the complex relationship between the presidency and public opinion. Leading historians, political scientists and public figures offer insight into presidents and the presidency from George Washington through FDR. Length: 35 minutes