Course

Nearly every aspect of modern American life ultimately winds up at the Supreme Court’s marble steps. In part one of this course, we will examine how this came to be and discuss whether it is how things should be. Should Americans’ most cherished rights be decided by nine unelected judges? Is this consistent with our basic notions of representative democracy? Get ready for lively, interactive discussions, filled with historical background, juicy insider tidbits, and present-day controversies.

Please note: You do not need to have taken part one of this course to fully enjoy part two.

Faculty Bio

Richard B. Rosenthal is an appellate lawyer who has been involved in high stakes, high-profile legal disputes across the nation. He has served as a personal attorney to President Barack Obama and is a lifelong friend of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. 

This is a Livestreamed + Recorded Course

• Classes will stream live on the scheduled day and time 
• Classes will also be video recorded
• You must be a current OLLI @Berkeley member to register. Learn about membership, including our fee assistance program.

Schedule Highlights

• Course starts on Wednesday, Feb. 18, and ends on Wednesday, March, 11
• Classes meet for 4 weeks, 1.5 hours per session (1:30 -3 PM)
• All course materials will remain in Member Dashboards through March 29

Faculty Q&A

• Read a recent interview with Richard Rosenthal about his course.