I have been a member of the Supreme Court Historical Society for more than a decade. I very much enjoy reading the Journal of Supreme Court History. Also, when I am in town, I try to attend various events, especially the re-enactment of famous cases. One of my favorites was seeing Justice Ginsburg preside over a re-enactment of Muller v. Oregon. I nearly burst out laughing when she cited favorably the precedent of Lochner v. New York.
Every year, the Society holds an annual meeting at the Supreme Court. (During the pandemic, the meeting was held online). I attended the recent meeting on June 3, 2024. The session began with a tour of the Court, followed by a screening of Holmes—The Film. (The Society recorded the one-man show about Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes preparing for his 90th Birthday address). The society then held a business meeting, where we voted on a new slate of officers and a few other matters. The meeting was open to the press. (Josh Gerstein from Politico was taking notes!) After the meeting, there was a cocktail reception on the ground floor. The reception and the dinner were not open to the press, but anyone who purchased a ticket could attend. This is not a secret cabal.
As is the custom, there is usually a Justice present at the Society's meetings. Justice Alito was there at the cocktail hour. You can imagine how these sorts of events proceed. There are a throng of people who wish to meet the Justice. So people sort of mill around, and wait for an opening. They exchange a few words with the Justice. And when the time is right, they move on. Justice Alito was very gracious, and spoke with many people that evening.
