Opinion / Christopher Cermak
You be the judge
Covering high-court cases is one of the more humbling experiences I’ve had as a journalist. Those I have reported on have ranged from listening to US Supreme Court justices consider Washington’s right to ban handguns to the German Constitutional Court debating whether the European Central Bank could do “whatever it takes”, as it had proclaimed, to prop up southern European economies during the continent’s debt crisis. It’s easy to feel completely out of your depth listening to the back and forth of an oral argument in cryptic legalese. And yet, as I strained to pick out the “quotable moments”, I couldn’t help but feel intensely aware of the weighty matters being discussed; decisions with massively far-reaching implications for politics, business and society.
The next challenge would be to convert that legalese into an article that was readable, engaging and captured the importance of the moment for a public that couldn’t attend (bar a few hundred in the public galleries). Well, this week I don’t have to: the broader US public can now take in the experience for themselves. With justices stuck at home like the rest of us, the US Supreme Court (pictured) held oral arguments via teleconference for the first time in its history yesterday and allowed anyone to listen in.
At stake on Monday was the tricky question of trademarks in the internet age – specifically whether the website Booking.com has the right to lay claim to such a generic name. More cases are in the pipeline: mark your calendars for 12 May when the court considers whether Donald Trump is required to hand over his tax returns. It’s a worthwhile experience for lawyers and non-lawyers alike. After all, this is where history is made – and you can listen to it all from the comfort of your sofa.