What Is the Legacy of the Roberts Court on Its 20th Anniversary?

We the People

National Constitution Center

History, News Commentary, News

4.6 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 2 October 2025

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode, Steve Vladeck of the Georgetown University Law Center and Sarah Isgur of SCOTUSblog join to discuss the legacy of the Roberts Court on its 20th anniversary and preview the important cases in the Supreme Court’s upcoming term, which begins on Monday, October 6. The National Constitution Center’s Griffin Richie guest hosts. Resources Learning Resources Inc. v. Trump Trump v. Slaughter Sarah Isgur and David French, Advisory Opinions Steve Vladeck, “The Roberts Court Turns Twenty,” One First (9/29/2025) Steve Vladeck, The Shadow Docket: How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic (5/16/2023) Caleb Nelson, “Special Feature: Must Administrative Officers Serve at the President’s Pleasure?,” Democracy Project (9/29/2025) Joseph Copeland, “Favorable views of Supreme Court remain near historic low,” Pew Research (9/3/2025) Brett M. Kavanaugh, “Separation of Powers During the Forty-Fourth Presidency and Beyond,” Minnesota Law Review (2009) In our new podcast, Pursuit: The Founders’ to Guide to Happiness Jeffrey Rosen explores the founders’ lives with the historians who know them best. Plus, filmmaker Ken Burns shares his daily practice of self-reflection. Listen to episodes of Pursuit on ⁠Apple Podcast⁠ and ⁠Spotify⁠. Stay Connected and Learn More Questions or comments about the show? Email us at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr ⁠⁠ Explore the⁠ ⁠America at 250 Civic Toolkit⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Sign up⁠⁠ to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate Follow, rate, and review wherever you listen Join us for an upcoming⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠live program⁠⁠ or watch recordings on⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ Support our important work: ⁠⁠Donate⁠

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center.
0:05.8	A few years ago, learning about the forgotten meaning of the pursuit of happiness changed my life.
0:12.0	When the founders wrote that famous phrase in the Declaration of Independence,
0:15.6	they meant an ongoing commitment to self-improvement and lifelong learning.
0:20.4	This discovery inspired me to write a book, and in my new podcast, I explore the founder's
0:25.2	lives with the historians who know them best.
0:27.8	Plus, filmmaker Ken Byrne shares his daily practice of self-reflection.
0:32.9	Join me for Pursuit, the Founder's Guide to Happiness.
0:48.3	On September 29, 2005, John Roberts was sworn in as Chief Justice of the United States.
0:56.0	Hello, friends. I'm Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center,
0:59.4	and welcome to We the People, a weekly show of constitutional debate.
1:04.2	The National Constitution Center is a nonpartisan nonprofit, chartered by Congress,
1:08.5	to increase awareness and understanding of the Constitution among the American people.
1:14.0	This episode of We the People will be guest-hosted by Griffin Ritchie, who's my special assistant at the NCC.
1:15.6	Take it away, Griffin.
1:18.0	This week, we will discuss the legacy of the Roberts Court on its 20th anniversary and preview
1:23.6	the major cases in the upcoming Supreme Court term.
1:26.8	To help us explore these topics, we have two of the leading commentators on the Supreme Court.
1:32.0	Sarah Isger is the editor of SCOTUS blog and an ABC News legal analyst.
1:37.1	She hosts the legal podcast advisory opinions.
1:40.2	Sarah, it is wonderful to welcome you back to We the People.
1:42.9	Thanks for having me.
	...

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