Interview19941 h 28 min720×480

Harry A. Blackmun oral history interview. Session 1

Blackmun, Harry A. (harry Andrew)

History

At the Library of Congress

Clips are not offered for this film: the Library of Congress states its rights in its own words, not as a public licence, which leaves reuse unclear.

Parts

About

Harry Blackmun and Harold Koh start this interview in Blackmun's office approximately one week after his 24th, and final, term as a Supreme Court justice. They go through the mementos, tokens and photographs on his walls and bookcases. Then, they move to the Supreme Court Courtroom when Blackmun discusses the feelings he had as a new judge being robed, controversial cases such as Roe v. Wade and Furman v. Georgia. Next, Blackmun and Koh are filmed in the Supreme Court Library where Blackmun says he frequented to write his opinions in solitude. He talks about the length of opinions and how they can be challenging to write succinctly under pressure. He addresses the criticism he has received over his career. Blackmun speaks fondly of baseball and some of his favorite opinions he wrote and shares that it's important to remember there are real people's lives at the heart of these cases. This first session ends with interior shots of the Supreme Court Library.

Archive
Library of Congress, in Library of Congress
Licence or status
Rights statement at the Library of Congress, as the Library of Congress states it.
Credit
Library of Congress
Language
English
Country
United States
Who can watch
The archive gives no rating. Invisible Network shows it to Tweens profiles and older, judged from its collection and subjects. How films are placed