Last night PBS aired the first half of its documentary on the history of the Supreme Court. This half went all the way from the Revolution to the New Deal and focused primarily on major cases (Dred Scott, Lochner) and their relation to political changes. While there’s a bit of hagiography, they seem to be doing a good job at pointing out how the Court has been at times falable throughout its history.
Shows like this are always good fodder for teaching, and the section on Marbury v. Madison shows how a case with a somewhat complicated background can be made interesting by turning it into a good story. A segment like this might make a good online class supplement.