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Podcasts Take Two
The Supreme Court's role in carefully guiding social change
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Dec 10, 2012
Listen • 7:37
The Supreme Court's role in carefully guiding social change
Prop 8, and gay marriage in general, is just the latest major social issue the U.S. Supreme Court has taken on. They’ll be deciding on the case just four years after California voted to restrict same-sex marriage.
The U.S. Supreme Court building is draped in a photo-realistic sheet during a repair and preservation project December 7, 2012, 2012 in Washington, DC. The Supreme Court announced on Friday that it will take up cases on whether same-sex marriage should be banned in California and whether legally married gay couples can get the same federal benefits as heterosexual couples.
The U.S. Supreme Court building is draped in a photo-realistic sheet during a repair and preservation project December 7, 2012, 2012 in Washington, DC. The Supreme Court announced on Friday that it will take up cases on whether same-sex marriage should be banned in California and whether legally married gay couples can get the same federal benefits as heterosexual couples.
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Alex Wong/Getty Images
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Prop 8, and gay marriage in general, is just the latest major social issue the U.S. Supreme Court has taken on. They’ll be deciding on the case just four years after California voted to restrict same-sex marriage.

Prop 8, and gay marriage in general, is just the latest major social issue the U.S. Supreme Court has taken on. They’ll be deciding on the case just four years after California voted to restrict same-sex marriage.

When it comes to broad social issues, the Supreme Court justices walk a fine line on how soon is too soon, will the public accept their decision, and what its legacy will be.

Michael Klarman, professor at Harvard Law School and author of, “From the Closet to the Altar: Courts, Backlash, and the Struggle for Same-Sex Marriage," joins the show to talk about the Supreme Court and its role in orchetrating social change.