On the recordJune 23, 2010
I don't have time to go into it now, with the limited time available, but the reader of the Congressional Record can see how frequently the Court has denied access to even the audio. It is a matter of general knowledge that the Supreme Court Justices engage in television interviews with some frequency. Justice Scalia, for example, appeared on the CBS News program ``60 Minutes'' on April 27 of 2008; Justice Thomas was on ``60 Minutes'' on September 30, 2007; Justices Breyer and Scalia have engaged in several televised debates, including a debate on December 5, 2006. All Justices have sat for television interviews conducted by C-SPAN. A point I have made with some frequency on the floor of the Senate is the great importance of the Supreme Court in our government. The Supreme Court has the final word. There is nothing in the Constitution which gives the Supreme Court the final word, but they took it in the celebrated case of Marbury v. Madison, and I believe it has been for the betterment of the country. You find the inability of the Congress to act. The most noteworthy illustration of that was segregation, for years the practice in this country. The executive branch did not handle it, but the Court was able to integrate our schools in a recognition of the changing values and the flexible interpretation of a living Constitution. It is often said that the Court is not final because they are right, but they are right because they are final.
