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| Most Beautiful Building; Most Controversial Court: Press Release |
KQED takes a close look at the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in a new documentary,
Most Beautiful Building; Most Controversial Court
June 21, 2005, San Francisco, CA --- Some have described it as the most beautiful building in the West. For others, it is a liberal court deviating from American mores. Presently, Congress is considering splitting it up, based largely on allegations of a liberal bias. This Monday, June 27 at 7:30pm on KQED 9, it is the subject of a new KQED documentary, Most Beautiful Building; Most Controversial Court.
With host Spencer Michels, Northern California correspondent for the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, the documentary explores not only the spectacular architecture of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals building, celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, but also the controversy over its decisions.
The courthouse, at 7th and Mission Streets in San Francisco, was built in 1905 and survived the 1906 and 1989 earthquakes. Whether it will survive the political storm over its decisions is anybody’s guess. The 9th circuit is most famous of late for its decision declaring the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional, contradicting the separation of church and state. The court also approved the used of medical marijuana.
The documentary delves into the history of the court throughout the past century, and includes a recreation of a 1905 case of a Chinese slave who was deported from America on the basis of Chinese exclusion laws. It includes interviews with several judges on the 9th Circuit, and the architect who designed the rehabilitation of the building following the '89 quake.
Conceived when Michels worked on a NewsHour piece about the courthouse last year, he began working with KQED producer Jon Fromer to bring the story into a 30-minute documentary. Like most native-born San Franciscans, he had never been inside the charming, elegant courthouse until recently. It was an exciting discovery to find this fine, Beaux Arts building in the city.
KQED Public Broadcasting operates KQED Public Television 9, one of the nation's most-watched public television stations during prime-time, and KQED's digital television channels, which include KQED HD, KQED Encore, KQED World, KQED Life and KQED Kids; KQED Public Radio, the most-listened-to public radio station in the nation with an award-winning news and public affairs program service (88.5 FM in San Francisco and 89.3 FM in Sacramento); KQED.org, one of the most visited station sites in Public Broadcasting; and KQED Education Network, which brings the impact of KQED to thousands of teachers, students, parents and media professionals through workshops, seminars and resources.
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