Law Commons^™

History In Journalism And Journalism In History: Anthony Lewis And The Watergate Crisis, Pnina Lahav

Faculty Scholarship

Let me plunge right into a Lewis column to convey his marvelous craft in weaving the past into a contemporary moment. This one is from July 8, 1974. The column is about the oral argument before the Supreme Court in the Executive Privilege case, which was about to enter the constitutional canon as United States v. Nixon. Lewis writes as both eyewitness and commentator. He begins with constitutional history invoking Marbury v. Madison:

"It seemed at times like a constitutional casebook come to life. Marbury v. Madison was not only cited but, for a moment, debated. What exactly …