The Supreme Court - by Jeffrey Rosen (Paperback)

About the Book

Rosen, a leading Supreme Court expert, recounts the personal and philosophical rivalries that forged the nations highest court and continue to shape lives.

Book Synopsis

"Superbly well written . . . a wonderfully informative guide to the Supreme Court both past and present."--David J. Garrow, American History

Jeffrey Rosen recounts the history of the Supreme Court through the personal and philosophical rivalries that have transformed the law--and by extension, our lives. With studies of four crucial conflicts--Chief Justice John Marshall and President Thomas Jefferson; post-Civil War justices John Marshall Harlan and Oliver Wendell Holmes; liberal icons Hugo Black and William O. Douglas; and conservative stalwarts William H. Rehnquist and Antonin Scalia--Rosen brings vividly to life the perennial rivalry between those justices guided by strong ideology and those who cared more about the court as an institution, forging coalitions and adjusting to new realities. He ends with a revealing conversation with Chief Justice John Roberts, who is attempting to change the court in unexpected ways. The stakes, he shows, are nothing less than the future of American jurisprudence.

Review Quotes

"Authoritative analysis of how the justices' "quirks of personality and temperament" have shaped American law and made the Court one of our strongest institutions ... An illuminating look at the human side of the highest court." - Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Jeffrey Rosen is a professor of law at George Washington University and the legal affairs editor of The New Republic. He is the author of The Most Democratic Branch, The Naked Crowd, and The Unwanted Gaze. His articles have appeared in many publications, including The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, and The New Yorker. He is a frequent contributor to National Public Radio and lives in Washington, D.C.