| Supreme Court justice pays visit (2/06) | | Print | |
| Friday, 17 February 2006 | ||
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For video of his presentation, click here. A Supreme Court justice stopped to visit the school on Feb. 6 while in town for a national book tour. When he realized that he would be in San Francisco for his new book, Active Liberty: Interpreting our Democratic Constitution, Class of ’55 Lowell alumnus justice Stephen Breyer set up a visit to his alma mater. After a short classroom tour, he spoke at a Mod 6-7 assembly held in his honor in the Carol Channing Auditorium. More than 1000 students, teachers and alumni attended, as well as interim superintendent Gwen Chan.
“It’s great to be here; it’s really nice to be home, and it is home,” Breyer said. He also expressed enthusiasm for the banner welcoming his return. “My dad would be proud,” he said, referring to the fact that his dad was also a Lowell graduate. Breyer immediately gave a brief lesson in government, stressing the importance of working in local law. “Ninety-five percent of law in the U.S. is state and local law. Five percent is Washington,” Breyer said. “So if you want to make a difference to people and where you live, you’ll worry about the law in San Francisco…Not everyone has to run off to Washington. I admit I’m a bad example of what I’m preaching.” Breyer then described the efficient process with which he and his colleagues on the Supreme Court deliberate on cases. The justices go around in a circle and “nobody speaks twice until everyone speaks once,” Breyer said. “The key to that conference is that we say what we really think; nobody’s there to make an argument. The key to a productive discussion is to always listen to what the other person’s saying. In seven years I’ve never heard a voice raised in anger in that room.” The audience consisted of mainly upperclassmen, including the entire senior AP Government students and most of the junior AP U.S. history students. AP Government students held a question and answer session with Breyer after his speech. Breyer stressed that one of the court’s main purposes is defining the line between security and civil liberties. He admitted and denounced past mistakes the court has made, citing the internment of Japanese citizens during World War II. “Excesses are possible,” he said. “We are there as a sort of balance.” Breyer’s presence awed many history teachers. “It was the social studies teacher’s equivalent of seeing a celebrity on the street,” U.S. history teacher David Leong said. U.S. history teacher Alex Schwarz found the assembly to be entertaining, as well. “He was a lot less dry than what I imagined him to be,” he said. “I got so excited when he made a reference to a court case we studied last semester on Andrew Jackson and the Trail of Tears.” After the assembly, Breyer was presented with a Lowell apron, sweatshirt, tote bag, pen, and water bottle — gifts from Lowell’s Book-2-Book center. Breyer reminisced about his days at Lowell. “I went to a different Lowell, physically, although it wasn’t nearly as nice,” he joked, talking about the old Haight-Ashbury campus. “My fondest memory of Lowell is probably the spring half of my senior year. We didn’t have that much work, and the weather was beautiful. The teachers were being quite nice at that point, and my friends were there.” Breyer took the opportunity to remind students of the lasting relationships formed in high school. “The people at Lowell, you stay friends with. That’s where you meet your friends, and you remember the teachers. Luckily what you learn, you remember.” After visiting Lowell, Breyer made his way to the Public Broadcasting System radio station for an interview about his new book. He later spoke at Herbst Theater as a part of City Arts and Lecture’s “Conversations with…” program. New Yorker staff writer and CNN legal analyst, Jefferey Toobin served as interviewer to Breyer, inquiring about his new book, his opinions of new Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, and his visit to Lowell. “It made my day,” Breyer said at the Herbst Theater. “The students were enthusiastic. There was lots of learning in all medias. And they are good at sports! They weren’t in my day.” During the audience question-and-answer session, Breyer used Lowell to defend the public school system, which was held up to scrutiny by a member of the audience who asked if he had suggestions on improving the state of education in the country. “I was very impressed by the education going on (at Lowell),” Breyer said. “I saw a lot of learning in a short amount of time.” Share this article:           |
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to listen.
