While two branches of the federal government have embraced social media, it looks like the Supreme Court is doing what it does best: Hearing cases and issuing opinions. Photo source: Supreme Court of the United States

As I was scanning The New York Times article about President Obama’s State of the Union speech, I came across the part in which Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito apparently disagreed with something that the chief executive said.

The Times reported that Alito, as he was sitting on the House floor, appeared to have mouthed the words, “No, it’s not true.”

I don’t know much about Alito. So, I decided to visit the Web site of the Supreme Court of the United States.

My first reaction after seeing it: Wow.

Based on the judicial branch’s Web site – which has a blue background, simple navigational buttons and a photo of the Supreme Court – the justices seem to be a pretty sober-minded group of intellectuals.

Which is fine. Being a sober-minded group of people is part of the duty of representing the judicial branch of the federal government.

But isn’t the 21st century about digital transparency and being a hipster, tech geek in the United States?

Where are the Twitter, Facebook and flickr icons? Where’s the YouTube introduction of the justices, say, enjoying a barbecue on the Potomac?

I like that the justices’ official biographies have been formatted as a PDF – with no smiling profile photographs of each justice.

Then I spotted another PDF – this one on the Court’s traditions – and realized the site and its basic look were probably by design:

For all of the changes in its history, the Supreme Court has retained so many traditions that it is in many respects the same institution that first met in 1790, prompting one legal historian to call it, ‘the first Court still sitting.’

I used Google to find out whether the Supreme Court sends out Tweets on Twitter. It looks like the Supreme Court is on Twitter but a Legal Times blog entry last year questioned whether the account is actually official.

And I just searched for the Supreme Court and YouTube. Here’s one of the top links that popped up.

In comparison – and I realize the two branches are different government shops – but have you seen WhiteHouse.gov?

It’s like a social media meet up!

I didn’t even get to the White House blog or podcasts because I spent the bulk of my time just watching videos (watching videos is very easy, you know).

There are serious ones, involving the earthquake in Haiti and relief efforts and high-minded public policy topics about helping people in the United States who are in financial distress.

I think that’s all good and warranted.

But before I started watching the videos, I realized that the White House is connecting with people on Facebook, Twitter, flickr, MySpace, YouTube, Vimeo, iTunes and LinkedIn.

No, I have not tried to become a fan or friend of the President or network with him or anyone in the White House on LinkedIn.

Then, I thought, just for a moment:

Come on, Supreme Court justices! Don’t run from social media! I understand that you want to be the same institution as you were in 1790. But, um, the Internet and social media have arrived! It would be intellectually challenging for you to get your grand, judicial framework thoughts down to a pithy set of characters to carry in a Tweet. I bet students at the nation’s prestigious law schools are sending out Tweets these days – and some of them will be the justices of tomorrow! I know you’re not rivals with Congress and the White House. But, man, they’re burning up the social media world!

Then, my thoughts drifted back to the White House and its videos – especially the insider ones that can surprise. Yes, you can find the State of the Union address.

What might those be?

They include the press secretary talking about a White House app for your iPhone, the making of a presidential football helmet, a look at the Marine sentries and an inside tour of the Situation Room.

As a former journalist, I like the documentary-style clip of the Situation Room, including all those special secure phones.

Have a look.