An Introduction to the Supreme Court

The Takeaway

Next week the Supreme Court will hear Department of Health and Human Services v. Florida, the case that will decide the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, or health insurance reform. The case includes a number of questions about states’ rights, federal jurisdiction, and individual liberty. In addition, it shines a spotlight on the institution that will decide the constitutionality of President Obama’s signature legislation.   Today, former Supreme Court reporter Linda Greenhouse, author of “The U.S. Supreme Court: A Very Short Introduction,” reveals the inner workings of the judiciary. How do cases reach the Supreme Court? What is the role of the Chief Justice? How has the Court’s distinctive decision-making process affected outcomes in cases like Brown v. Board of Education, and how might the Court rule on the Affordable Care Act?
Linda Greenhouse is Knight distinguished journalist-in-residence and Joseph Goldstein lecturer in law at Yale Law School.

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