In October 1991, one of the most controversial cases in recent years unfolded in the US Supreme Court - the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill hearings, a disturbing series of hearings which were broadcast on television and radio throughout the world. The case focused on language, on the legal problems in establishing the truth and on the justice system within America itself. It focused on key issues in American politics. The anger it created, and the debate which ensued, contributed to a new awareness of some fundamental problems which face everyone in the late 20th century. The racial and feminist issues raised by the case affect a wide variety of people.