Transcripts For CSPAN3 Supreme Court Food Traditions 2016070

Ports of entry. Coming up next, justices ruth bader again berg and Sonia Sotomayor share stories of the current Supreme Courts food traditions, including topics of conversation at shared meals. We also learn about customs dating to the 19th and 20th centuries. This discussion took place at the Smithsonians National Museum American history here in washington and its just over an hour. So its absolutely a thrill to see so many people here for this kind of a program. My name is john gray and i have the wonderful privilege of being your director of National Museum of American History, particularly on nights like tonight when we can really look at American History in unique and unusual ways. We are honored to be joined by Tonights Panel, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader ginsberg. [ applause ] Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor. [ applause ] katherine fitz. [ applause ] and Supreme Court Society Publications director claire cushman. [ applause ] it is now my privilege to introduce the 13th secretary of the zit sewnian institution, dr. David skorton, a Board Certified cardiologist, a jazz musician and he was recently the president of Cornell University and previously served as president of the university of iowa. He has interest in interests and learning as wide as the smithsonian and most importantly tonight hes a peskatarian. [ applause ] thanks, john, for the instruction a introduction and thank you from the American People or all that you do here at this amazing museum. [ applause ] especially in such an interesting Election Year we all appreciate everything you and your colleagues are doing to share so many aspects of the story of america and to aspire us all with that story. Esteemed colleagues and friends, welcome to this unique opportunity, a word i dont use lightly to find out more about the highest court in the land and how its members have worked and kind togethdined together. The Supreme Court and the zit sewnian has had close times. The chief justice has served as the chancellor of the smithsonian board of regents. I am indebted to chief roberts for his work in this capacity and for the gie dance hes provided me in my transition my first year at the zit sewnian and the education about the smithsonian and for his ongoing leadership. Justice sotomayor and Justice Ginsberg i thank you and your colleagues for your crucial work that under pins or democracy. Thank you. [ applause ] i know i speak for everyone by saying you are pioneers and role models and exemplars of the nuance prips. Of thinking. And i am glad to say friends of the smithsonian. Justice ginsburg and soed minor have shared their stories with us as part of our Smithsonian Program and both are represented in the portrait gallery on the painting, four justices. I invite all of you to see it. It is on display through october. The narkt Postal Museum have starps that feature Justice William brennan, and this very museum has in its collection the robe Sandra Day Oconnor wore when he was sworn in as the first women justice on the Supreme Court. The seismic shifts in our nations history has typically been characterized in part by struggle. The politics have frequently been hotly contested. But as this years contentious president ial election unfolds, its good to remember that politics can end at the edge of a plate. This is because food brings us all together. It is communal, it is ritual. Food has always bound civilization as is evident in a phrase and tradition of breaking bread. One of my favorite variations of this term is its hard to remain enemies when youve broken bread together. Nothing kpem fies that more. The picture of the two of them on top of an elephant on a trip to india for me was worth many thousands of words. These brilliant colleagues put any differences aside, whether traveling the world or simply breaking bread together here. Convening people to explore our shared humanity and a measure of shared wisdom is what the smithsonian is all about. From discussions of current topics to Educational Program to events like this one that examine our common bonds. The zit sewnian is at heart a place with people can come together. Thank you for gathering so we can hear some fascinating stories and partake of some food for thought. John . [ applause ] thank you very much, secretary. And thank you to our partners at the Supreme Court Historical Society for their support of this program. We also welcome the staff of the Supreme Court and the offices of justices ginsberg and soed minor and many other distinguished guests. Tonight were honored to be joined by two members of the nations highest court and theyve come together to talk about food. In fact this is one of those rare and special times when the justices will speak publicly on topics outside the law. We are the home of julia child kitchen and so many other National Treasures related to food and its consumption and its production. And we do so for a reason. We make the intimate link between food and our history and in doing so we help our nation understand the past in order to make sense of the present and shape a more humane future. Food history, food stories and our own love of food awaken vivid memories that create an awareness and an empathy for all. With that just a few ground rules. Fist, please limit your photography to the first two minutes of the discussion after i leave the stage. Please remember to turn off your cell phones. It is now our honor to introduce Tonights Panel on the fascinating delicious topic of the importance of food at the Supreme Court. Please join me in welcoming our distinguished panel, Justice Ruth Bader ginsberg joined the Supreme Court in 1983, previously as part of an extensive distinguished legal career, she was appointed to the court of appeal. Justice ginsberg attended Harvard Law School and received her llb from Columbia Law School and served on the law review at both schools. Justice sonya soed minor joined the Supreme Court in 2009. Previously as part of an extensive legal career, she served on the u. S. Court of appeals for the second district, on the u. S. District Court Southern District of new york, justice soed m. Katherine fitz is a occcurator the museum. Thank you all for joining us at our table and we look forward to this discussion. Thank you. [ applause ] thank you for that introduction. On behalf of the Supreme Court Historical Society, i would like to thank the smithsonian for partnering with us for this event, for hosting us in this beautiful room and especially to its staff for organizing it. On a cold february night in 1790 the justices met and held their first session of the Supreme Court in new york city. After they adjourned, they went to frances tavern and ate dinner. They kind with new York District judges, the attorney general and had a really good time. They made 13 toasts, including one to the president , one to the constitution and one to the new national judiciary. So since its very inception, the Supreme Court justices have found way to come together and share meals. As theyre appointed for life, they often sit on the bench together for years, if not decades. And they look for ways to enhance korjialty and cooperation by, as you said, breaking bread together. Tonight were going to examine the evolution of some of the courts customs involving food. From the early 19th century. And then hear about what some of these distinguished justices have to say about current practices. So lets start with the Marshal Court era, when the great justice from virginia presided over the kourth from 1801 to 1835. There were six then seven justices and they were appointed from all up and down the eastern seaboard from boston all the way down to georgia and then out west to kentucky. They came to washington, to the Supreme Court sessions alone. They left their wives and their children in their home towns. They didnt move their families to washington. Because the court term was very short. During the marshal outer era, it was usually two months long. Accordingly chief Justice John Marshal arranged for them all to live together in a boarding house and they took almost all of their meals together. So katherine, why did john marshal want the justices to live, dine, work and socialize together . Well, i would say that i think the primary reason was that he wanted to build the bonds between the justices. I think it also goes to say that the court started off with a nomadic existence. They were in new york when that was the seat of the nations government. Then they moved to philadelphia, and then they came to washington. And i think also at the time we have to remember that in washington it wasnt the city of course that we know today. And so there were very few places for the justices and members of congress who would come on this transient schedule to washington. So they lived in the boarding house to gain that fraternal bond and to also come together. And i think john marshal also wanted the justices to kind of learn to come together and speak in one voice to try to give the court some stature. So when they were eating in the boarding houses, were they in a private room or were they with other guests . I think at times they probably shared some meals with other gusts. But when they went to deliberate their cases, they met in private for those discussions. They actually ate dinner and deliberated cases at the same time. According to stories, that is the case. So was there no Conference Room available to them at the court . Or what was the situation fliek like in the capital . Zbli would have prefaced my remarks with that. When the court moved to washington, there was the president s house, there was the capitol. And even though we had a third branch of government, there was no place for the Supreme Court to meet. Graciously room was made available in the basement of the capitol but it was just a Small Committee room. I think it was 30x35. Eventually in 1810 the Supreme Court got their First Chamber on the ground floor of the capitol building. Thats the era that john marshal comes to lead the court. John marshal had a great fondness for madera wine. He was not align. Madera was very popular with most of the founding fathers, including thomas jefferson, his rival. Apparently the shaking and the sauna like conditions in the ships hull gave it a very complex caramel flavor that they la liked. Tell us about john mar shl and madera. He gained his taste for madera in richmond. He was part of a coits club, in richmond, a Barbecue Club for gentlemen. And john marshal was one of the founding members. And the club had their own bunch and madera was one of the primary ingredients, along with cognac, rum and sugar and lemon throw in for phonfun. It was a lawn game at the time akin to horseshoes. And they would throw these are rings. And supposedly john marshal was vigorous in enforcing his rules that politics and religion was not to be discussed and if anyone was caught discussing those, they were find a case of champagne which would then be consumed at the next meeting. [ laughter ] and apparently he had bottles labeled the Supreme Court that he brought with him to the boarding house to share . I think there were also local merchants that kind of played on john marshals and others fondness for madera. And yes, there was a Supreme Court label madera. Which sort of gave it the sale of aproefl. Approval. Right. John marshal had a great ally on the court, a man named josh story. He had a weak stomach and and he was a teetotaler when he arrived in washington. That didnt last long. And he wrote to his wife that the justices tried really hard not to drink too much wine. They had a rule that only on rainy days and for medicinal purposes would they imbibe. But apparently this was not a bright line rule. This is true. Dont worry about the rainy day, which is told in various versions. They drank only when it rained. And the chief justice said, he looked out the window and the sun is shining brightly, and he said, somewhere in the world its raining. Yes. [ laughter ] Justice Ginsberg, you have an anecdote abjoseph storys wife as well. She didnt like for him to be away at the capital city for weeks at a time. So she decided she would come along with him. And that made chief Justice Marshal rather uneasy. He said, it would be all right if she dined with them. She would add a civilizing influence. But she mustnt be around when they are discussing cases. She didnt want to distract justice story from the work he was to do. As it turned out, saras stomach was no better than josephs. And the boarding house fare did not agree with her. So she left before the term ended. But it was the beginning of the end for the boarding house. One justice or another decided bhie should i have this boarding house fare when i can be living with my family. And i think johnson left and then another and another. And what happened, when the boarding house style of living ended, dissents began to appear in the court. John marshal did a remarkable thing. The tradition was the tradition we inherited from england was that each justice wrote his own opinion. So say there was a panel of five judges, there would be five opinions, and then the lawyers had to figure out what the decision meant. Marshals idea was that there should be one opinion, it would speak for the court, there should be no dissents and he would write the opinion. Its remarkable. Almost all of the decisions were written by the chief justice. But when the boarding house style of living broke down, so did the unanimity. So theres evidence that the marshal Court Justices like to share regional Food Products with each other. They were very proud of the foods from their home towns. For example, john marshal sent virginia hams up to joseph story in boston and story reciprocated by sending down salted cod, along with a recipe for how to cook salted cod because its nod easy. You have to soak it. And he wasnt sure the virginians knew what to do with it. My question is for both justices, starting with Justice Ginsberg, are there modern examples of justices today on the Court Bringing food from their home towns or back from their travels . Or their hunting trips. We had an sbre pid hunter back who would bring fish to fowl to bambi to wild boar. Justice breyer decided he needed to introduce his grandchild to pheasant caught by our colleague and presented the pheasant, cooked it and presented it at home but explained to them that they need to be careful because there may be pellets in the game. And they refused to eat it so he ate it alone. Another favorite was its called beef jerky. It was made by Sandra Day Oconnors brother on the ranch, the family ranch. And a couple of times a year she would bring a large supply of beef jerky and distribute it. Did you try it . Its apparently quite spicy. It is very spicy. I would have loved it. I came too late. And i understand that Justice Breyer and Justice Kennedy have brought wine for the court to share . Is that only on very special occasions. But it was the traditional dinner before the state of the union message. And one year Justice Kennedy came with a couple of bottles of opus one from california hes also brought duck from california. That was the first time i feel asleep during the state of the union. [ laughter ] well, Justice Sotomayor, i understand that when you first joined the court you brought a treat with you from new york for the other justices. Well, i shouldnt be telling tales, but the colleague on this panel with me, i was told enjoys sweets, so i brought a box of new york placeties for our first conference together. Ive only learned later that the treat she was most fond of is muffins. Now we have our own pastry chef at the court. Many justices have had food related traditions with their clerks. Harry blackman famously liked to have breakfast with his court in the Supreme Court cafeteria. And chief Justice Warren