Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer is the author of many books, including Making Our Democracy Work: A Judge’s View and Active Liberty: Interpreting Our Democratic Constitution. A San Francisco native (he attended Lowell High School), Breyer received a BA in philosophy from Stanford, attended Oxford as a Marshall Scholar, and earned his law degree from Harvard University. He was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1994 by President Clinton. Breyer is known for his pragmatic approach to constitutional law, urging judges to consider both the purpose of statutory and constitutional text, as well as the potential consequences of specific rulings when deciding cases. His optimistic viewpoint, well articulated in his books, describes judges as essential in building “productive working relationships with other institutions,” especially Congress and the Executive branches.
Michael Krasny is the host of the KQED radio program Forum. He is also a Professor of English at San Francisco State University and the author of Off Mike: A Memoir of Talk Radio and Literary Life. His many interviews for City Arts & Lectures include Toni Morrison, Salman Rushdie, Norman Mailer, Joyce Carol Oates, and Isaac B. Singer.