How many movies have portrayed Supreme Court Justices?
Photograph: Jack Shearer as Antonin Scalia in Recount (2008).
Fifteen! (I think.) We're not talking documentaries or bio-pics; we are talking about Hollywood films with celebrity portrayals of Justices. (Because it is more fun than documentaries). Lets take a look at all of the popular US films that have tried to emulate the highest court in the land.
The Magnificent Yankee (1950) was adapted to screen after its beginnings as a play. The story follows the tenure of Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
Gideon’s Trumpet (1980) is a dramatized retelling of the events of the famous criminal case, Gideon v. Wainwright, which definitively protected the right of indigent persons to have a right to counsel.
Separate But Equal (1991) featured Sidney Poitier as Thurgood Marshall. This film is a dramatic depiction of the litigation in Brown v. Board of Education. Technically, Marshall was not a justice during this time; he was an advocate, arguing on behalf of Oliver Brown. The film shows Marshall and his team researching and preparing for their day in Court. And this film is technically a two-for because it also depicted Earl Warren who was played by Richard Kiley.
Amistad (1997) included a cameo of Harry Blackmun in his portrayal of Joseph Story. This film depicts the 1839 revolt of African slaves aboard the Amistad ship which ported in Connecticut. The film tells the true story of the court controversy over whether or not the captured Africans were legally free or property of the shippers.
The People vs. Larry Flynt (1997) is the dramatized portrayal of the real case, Hustler Magazine v. Falwell, where the Court found that the First Amendment protected the right of parody of public figures.
Nuremberg (2000) is technically a miniseries. It starred Alec Baldwin as Robert Jackson during his roll as a prosecutor against the Nazi Party leaders in Nuremberg. The miniseries received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for best miniseries.
Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight (2013) portrayed several justices: John M. Harlan II (Christopher Plummer), Chief Warren Burger (Frank Langella), Harry Blackmun (Ed Begley Jr.), William Brennan (Peter Gerety), Potter Strewart (Barry Levinson), Byron White (John Bedford Lloyd), Hugo Black (Fritz Weaver), William O. Douglas (Harris Yulin), and Thurgood Marshall (Danny Glover). The film tells the true story of Ali’s refusal of military induction during the Vietnam War and the Supreme Court’s decision in the case.
Recount (2008) depicts the Florida election recount at the end of the 2000 Presidential Election. At the end of the movie, actors reenact the oral argument in Bush v. Gore before SCOTUS.
Bridge of Spies (2015) retells the case, Abel v. United States, in which the Court decided that the FBI’s interaction with the Immigration and Naturalization Service to apprehend Rudolph Abel, a Soviet Union spy, was legal and in good faith.
Woman in Gold (2015) features Chief Justice Rehnquist, played by Jonathon Pryce. The film tells the story of Jewish refugee Maria Altmann in her pursuit to reclaim artwork she believed belonged to her family; her claim against the Austrian government eventually made it to the Supreme Court.
Loving (2016) is the dramatized retelling of the case, Loving v. Virginia, where the Court unanimously decided in favor of the Lovings, an interracial couple, who were facing criminal convictions in Virginia due to their marriage under the State’s Racial Integrity Act.
Confirmation (2016) starred Wendell Pierce as Clarence Thomas in the retelling of the then-Supreme-Court-nominee’s confirmation process. The film focuses on the story of Anita Hill and her testimony before the Senate.
The Post (2017) portrayed Justice Burger, played by Mark Jacoby. The film depicts the case, New York Times Co. v. United States, in which SCOTUS ruled that the New York Times and The Washington Post could publish leaked government documents in press.
Marshall (2017) follows the true story of Thurgood Marshall (Chadwick Boseman) during his beginnings as a NAACP lawyer. The film retells one of the most important cases of Marshall’s early career: his criminal defense of Joseph Spell, a black man who was charged with raping his white employer.
On the Basis of Sex (2018), one of the most recent films featuring a Supreme Court Justice, tells the story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her early legal career advocating for gender equality before the US Supreme Court. The film was written by RBG’s real-life nephew and even featured a cameo of RBG herself.
If you know of any others, please share! Bill and I can't wait to watch all of these films and any others showing off SCOTUS!
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