Since we just started our audio unit, I was browsing around looking for podcasts to listen to. I came across Radiolab’s series More Perfect from this past July. This is an interesting series hosted by Jad Abumrad about different Supreme Court cases throughout history. They talk about more than just the case facts and the final decision. The justices’ emotional dilemmas over their decisions and the effects they’ve had on our country are the main focus of the series.
I listened to Episode 2: The Political Thicket about the Baker vs. Carr case, which was so taxing on Justice Whittaker that he became suicidal and admitted himself to the hospital.
The case itself is very interesting, because it was a debate on how involved the federal court should be in state matters. If you’re interested in law, I suggest listening to the series.
What I enjoyed most about this podcast was the format it was presented in. It is put together like you are listening to the executive producer, Suzie Lechtenberg, tell you and Jad a story. She is the main narrator, but there are many clips inserted from recordings of the case and interviews of historians and family of the justices. The clips are put together so that Suzie’s narration and the clip flow together into one sentence. At times it kinda feels like you are sitting in the courtroom with Suzie watching the debate unfold, and she is filling you in on the parts you don’t understand.
The layering of all the different voices that were a part of the case is really interesting and brings a different depth to the podcast. It reminds me of documentaries that have raw footage, narration, and reenactments of an event. Music clips are used as well to set the mood or define a transition in the story.
This podcast is a combination of history stories and political analysis. There are six episodes, if you get the chance, listen to them and pick up some devices to use in your sound project!
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