Original intent is the judicial philosophy promoted by President George W. Bush and Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. Originalists believe the US Constitution should be interpreted in the way the Founding Fathers understood it in 1789—an era when only white men were granted the right to vote and slavery was legal. Others believe the Constitution was crafted in broad, open-ended language with a meaning that evolves over time. Originial Intent: The Battle for America argues that the far right is using originalism as a cover to advance a radically conservative political agenda.

With the appointments of justices Roberts and Alito, the balance of the Supreme Court shifted dramatically to the right. This move threatens many fundamental rights, particularly laws that protect civil rights, voting rights, affirmative action, reproductive rights, privacy, and sexual freedom. The film contains interviews with Supreme court nominee Robert Bork; Professor Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of UC Irvine Law School; Professor Alan Dershowitz of Harvard Law School; Edwin Meese, Attorney General of the Reagan Administration; Senator Alan Simpson (R-WY); Professor Nadine Strassen of NY Law School and President of ACLU; and Nina Totenberg, Legal Affairs Correspondent for National Public Radio. The film serves as an essential text for courses in political science, government, Constitutional law, and American studies.

"A solid documentary that reminds us of how the Constitution and the Supreme Court are relevant to our everyday lives, this is recommended."
‒Video Librarian

Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, 2007
Best Feature Documentary, Harlem International Film Festival, 2007
Best Feature Film, Newburyport Documentary Film Festival, 2007
Kansas International Film Festival, 2007