Although the nomination and approval process of Supreme Court Justices has become a highly partisan circus, the Court itself is a virtual secret society, an opaque institution affecting all Americans; operating, literally, from behind a velvet curtain.

Appointed for life, the members aren’t accountable for their actions or decisions; have no official code of ethics and only minimal financial disclosure requirements; adopt no standards for recusal; do not allow cameras or media in their Courtroom; and rarely permit reporting of their public appearances.

The Court’s caseload has dropped to about 75 out of almost 9,000 requests per annum. How do they determine which to hear? Could they be unduly influenced by the ever-increasing number of amicus briefs, argued by an elite group of favored counsel? How are their decisions, so critical to our society, actually negotiated?

What exactly does the Court do, and how does it operate? Its budget of over 100 million dollars includes a basketball court; fewer than 100 workdays; full-time security for each member; the assistance of 36 clerks with hundreds of additional staff; and virtually no public access to their proceedings.

We’ll address these rarely examined matters through a combination of lecture and discussion. In this time of increasing public discourse about the power of the Presidency and the ineptitude of Congress, should we be cautious about relying upon the Court to save our Democracy?