I downloaded my very first podcast yesterday, a one-hour lecture by Justice Stephen Breyer recorded at the University of Chicago Law School. The first thirty minutes or so are a detailed account of how business is conducted at the Supreme Court, including the process for granting cert and deciding cases. It's quite fascinating if you're like me and are irrationally obsessed with that kind of thing. Breyer is also a pretty funny guy, and self-effacing in spite of his reputation for arrogance.
In other Supreme Court news, Justice Alito has made the bizarre move of hiring a 37-year-old former aide to John Ashcroft as one of his law clerks. So for those of you who worried about Alito's stance on executive power, keep worrying.
