I've always found the Supreme Court the paramount of fascination in American politics. They are without a doubt the most important body in our country and looking at their history and their decisions is like watching a sociology experiment. It's all steeped in so much social nuance; every choice they make it based on the culture of the country at the time, the political atmosphere, what's considered moral at the time, what they project the future will be like, et cetera, et cetera. If you want to really learn about American culture, it's the best place to look.

Completely true, great point (and entertainingly well-expressed). For instance, here:

It’s possible to see her as a kind of Everywoman, whose fitful ideological journey during more than three decades in the national spotlight mirrors the country’s journey during that period as well — at least the journey of those once-comfortably centrist Republicans who have watched with dismay as their party abandoned them (Justice David H. Souter was another one), or those personally sheltered from having to give much thought to sexual identity, or crisis pregnancy, or race, but who after grappling with those issues have found themselves arriving at unexpected destinations.