National Constitution Center Marks U.S. Constitution's 228th Anniversary
By Mike DeNardo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It was 228 years ago Thursday that the U.S. Constitution was signed. To mark the anniversary, the National Constitution Center hosted a U.S. Supreme Court Justice.
Justice Stephen Breyer told a Constitution Center audience that the Supreme Court needs to understand foreign laws to perform its job well.
"More and more cases come up that require us to know quite a lot about what happens beyond our shores."
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Conservatives have criticized using foreign laws to interpret the U.S. Constitution, but Breyer in his new book "The Court and the World" argues it's necessary in an increasingly global society.
"The way to preserve our basically American values is to engage with what's happening elsewhere."
Breyer said the judicial docket is a function not of individual philosophies, but of a world that is changing.