Nina Totenberg & Kimberley Strassel

April 20, 2024

The Supreme Court is emerging as one of the most dynamic and consequential institutions of our time. With a pivotal year ahead, journalists Nina Totenberg and Kimberley Strassel will come together for a lively and nuanced conversation about the changing nature of the court and the potential impact of the most highly anticipated cases on the court’s 2024 docket. Totenberg is a veteran legal affairs correspondent and considered one of NPR’s “founding mothers.” Strassel is an author and opinion columnist for The Wall Street Journal. This discussion between two women with divergent views will be a testament to the power of civil discourse and the value of engaging with different perspectives.

Format: Conversation with Audience Q&A

Nina Totenberg is one of the country’s most respected journalists and a doyenne of the Supreme Court. She has more than 40 years of experience at National Public Radio, where she is an award-winning legal affairs correspondent covering the impact of headline-making judicial cases on America’s future.

Newsweek once dubbed Totenberg the “crème de la crème” of NPR. Her reports are regularly featured on “All Things Considered,” “Morning Edition,” and “Weekend Edition,” sharing seasoned reflections on everything from the inner workings of the nation’s highest court to the top legal issues affecting everyday Americans. In-depth and wildly thought-provoking, her deep experience and nuanced perspective provide audiences with rich insight into today’s judicial headlines like no one else can.

Totenberg has won nearly every major journalism award in broadcasting. She holds the distinction of being the first radio journalist to win the National Press Foundation’s “Broadcaster of the Year” award. The American Bar Association has honored Totenberg seven times for continued excellence in legal reporting, and she has been awarded more than two dozen honorary degrees. She is also the recipient of the American Judicature Society’s first-ever award honoring a career body of work in the field of journalism and the law.

A tribute and testament to her nearly 50-year friendship with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Totenberg’s memoir, “Dinners With Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendships,” was published in September 2022.

Opinion columnist and author Kimberley Strassel delves into national affairs, top daily headlines, and the fundamental importance of civil liberties — specifically those guaranteed by the First Amendment — to healthy democracies.

As a member of The Wall Street Journal editorial board and author of the publication’s weekly “Potomac Watch” column, Strassel has established herself as a preeminent political commentator whose informed views make her a sought-after contributor to Sunday political shows, including CBS’s “Face the Nation,” “Fox News Sunday,” and NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Strassel began her career at the Journal in 1994 when she joined the news department in Brussels, later transferring to the London office. She moved to New York in 1999 and soon thereafter joined the Journal’s editorial page, working as a features editor and later as an editorial writer. She assumed her current position in 2005.

Strassel blends original reporting with historical context to spur thought-provoking conversations about current events and the impact of political and social actions on civil liberties. She is the author of three books, including “Resistance (At All Costs): How Trump Haters are Breaking America” and “The Intimidation Game: How the Left Is Silencing Free Speech.” In the latter, Strassel outlines the tactics and strategies used to limit free speech and offers solutions for combating this encroachment on First Amendment rights.

An Oregon native, Strassel earned a bachelor’s degree in public policy and international affairs from Princeton University. She lives in Alaska with her three children.