Radiolab Presents: More Perfect: American Pendulum I

October 5, 2017 10:35 AM

What happens when the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, seems to get it wrong? In this episode, we follow Fred Korematsu's path to the Supreme Court, and we ask the question: if you can't get justice in the Supreme Court, can you find it someplace else?
posted by latkes (3 comments total)

I liked More Perfect last year, but this episode really went farther to me, specifically in terms of the artistry of the editing, sound design, timing, etc. The story itself is very compelling and they made a narrative that was interesting to follow but also explained the context and significance of this case well.

The ending sound montage was extremely powerful and made me start sobbing in the car.
posted by latkes at 10:44 AM on October 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

I'm so glad you've posted this. I really liked More Perfect's first season too. Listening to this, I was just as ignorant as the Berkeley Law students. I didn't know anything about Korematsu's case, and I had no idea it was still valid precedent.

The interview with Richard Posner bothered me so much that I spent part of my morning reading his extensive wikipedia page. He's a strange bird, but what he was saying about the correctness of Roosevelt's decision and the SCOTUS decision surprised me, especially given his influence.
posted by gladly at 11:17 AM on October 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

Yeah Posner's argument seemed super weird and upsetting to me. Is he saying there should be no restriction on the action of the president in times of war? What if the president is a terrible person? I liked his point that the Supremes aren't so hot either, but at least they are a group (not one person) and have to justify their beliefs in detailed opinions that must at least claim to be based on legal principles.
posted by latkes at 11:29 AM on October 5, 2017