An Interview with Jerry Goldman, Founder of the Oyez Project

Key Takeaways

• Oyez digitized thousands of Supreme Court audio recordings.
• Project partnered with Cornell's Legal Information Institute.
• Early tape preservation required baking reels to fix shed syndrome.
• On the Docket creates AI‑generated justice videos for social media.
• Goldman advocates 25‑year term limits for justices.

Summary

Jerry Goldman, founder of the Oyez Project, discussed how he spent 25 years digitizing the Supreme Court’s decaying audio archives and making them publicly searchable. He explained the technical hurdles of preserving reel‑to‑reel tapes, the partnership with Cornell’s Legal Information Institute, and the evolution of the site into a key legal research tool. Goldman also introduced his new venture, On the Docket, which uses AI to produce short videos of opinion announcements for platforms like YouTube and TikTok. Finally, he advocated for 25‑year term limits for justices, arguing it would keep the Court more in touch with the public.

Pulse Analysis

The Oyez Project reshaped legal research by turning obscure, deteriorating reel‑to‑reel tapes into a searchable online archive. Before Oyez, scholars relied on limited transcripts or costly cassette copies, hindering both academic inquiry and public understanding. By collaborating with the National Archives and securing grant funding, Goldman not only rescued priceless audio but also set a precedent for open‑access judicial resources, influencing how law schools, journalists, and civics educators teach Supreme Court history.

Preserving the audio required inventive engineering: dealing with "sticky shed syndrome," baking tapes in a toaster oven, and creating high‑resolution digital copies while returning duplicates to the Archives. These efforts highlighted the fragile nature of analog media and underscored the importance of public‑private partnerships in cultural preservation. The early internet served as a conduit for disseminating the recordings, turning a niche scholarly tool into a widely used platform that now hosts millions of visits annually, reinforcing the role of technology in democratizing legal information.

Goldman's latest initiative, On the Docket, leverages artificial intelligence to transform opinion announcements into concise, shareable videos. Targeting Gen Z and Gen Alpha on TikTok, YouTube, and X, the project has already amassed 100,000 views in two weeks, proving demand for bite‑sized judicial content. This approach not only modernizes civic engagement but also pressures the Court to consider more timely audio releases. Coupled with his call for 25‑year term limits, Goldman’s work signals a broader push toward a more transparent, accountable, and technologically integrated Supreme Court.