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Tea Leaf Reading at Its Best: Eavesdropping on the Supreme Court

Gwen's Take

Updated 3/30/12 12:24pm

I was never tempted to go to law school. But I love to parse language and reasoning, so listening to the audio of this week’s Supreme Court health care arguments was -- in its nerdy way -- actually quite enjoyable.

Because the courts remain the only branch of the federal government that still stubbornly bans cameras from proceedings, we rely on audiotapes released later in the day to hear history unfold. It’s there where those of us who don’t get into the room get to listen for cadence, eloquence, and even humor.