ABOUT ME
My name is Pippah Getchell. I'm a political scientist and educator. I'm not an attorney; but, discussing the decisions of the Supreme Court is a big part of teaching people about American politics and government. The decisions of the Court help shape the lives of every American. While these decisions might not affect everyone every day, they are an essential part of the American fabric. I don't know about you, but I'm not willing to settle for someone else's description of what such important words say - I want to read those words myself. So, since I'm going to be reading these Supreme Court opinions anyway, why not read them out loud so you can hear them too? No eyeballs required.
AUDIO OF SUPREME COURT OPINIONS.
FINALLY.
Supreme Court opinions are long, and they keep getting longer. So, unless reading them is a part of your job or your homework, Supreme Court opinions are probably at the bottom of your reading list (if you include them at all). Still, these opinions are written for all of us; they explain the decisions made by the court in its interpretations of our founding charter and most fundamental law: the Constitution. While some of the Court's opinions can be downright boring, many of them are fascinating and inspirational. Others you may find infuriating (if you're anything like me). Whether boring or eloquent, when the Supreme Court issues an opinion of the Court, it becomes greater than the words it contains; it becomes constitutional law.
You can read every word of the constitution and its amendments during your lunch hour, but unless you know how the Supreme Court interprets the words within it, you are only getting part of the story. The challenge is that Supreme Court opinions are sometimes longer than the constitution itself, which happens to make them perfect material for listening. I've been hoping that someone would create an audio resource for SCOTUS opinions for years until, finally, I decided to buy myself a microphone and join the podcast bandwagon.
If you are a student, you should know that I omit both in-text citations and footnotes in order to create a better listening experience. While I know how important these citations are, past attempts at including them created too much confusion for the listener. So, I always include a companion link to the full text of the opinion for instant reference. With that in mind, this podcast is intended to be a supplemental tool to help familiarize yourself with the basic message of the opinion before digging into the essential information contained within each citation and footnote.
Whether you listen to one episode of this podcast or all of them, I am so glad that you are here! Thank you for caring about our democracy, thank you for staying informed, and thank you for listening to What SCOTUS Wrote Us.