The Courage of Their Convictions: Sixteen Americans Who Fought Their Way to the Supreme Court [Paperback]

Peter Irons (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1995

An "extraordinary book reveal[ing] the live faces behind the masks of constitutional law; to read it is to understand the inner dynamics of law's outward development."—Laurence H. Tribe.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Peter Irons is professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego. He is the author of five previous award-winning books. The most recent, A People's History of the Supreme Court, was awarded the Silver Gavel Certificate of Merit by the American Bar Association.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140128107
• ISBN-13: 978-0140128109
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #44,552 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > Business & Investing > Management & Leadership > Strategy & Competition
  • #19 in Books > Law > Legal History
  • #26 in Books > Law > One-L > Civil Procedure

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Peter Irons, The Courage of Their Convictions (1990), August 9, 2003

By 

Prof. Carl Schwarz (Irvine, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Courage of Their Convictions: Sixteen Americans Who Fought Their Way to the Supreme Court (Paperback)

I have used this book three times in UC and CSU public law classes have taught: Intro to Judicial Process, Intro to Judicial Politics, and American Government. It is a personalized, almost biographical approach to leading constitutional rights cases, replete with the "human" as well as "legal" story behind each of the 16 cases. Though short on some of the important legal arguments at the Supreme Court level, it covers well the dispositons and judicial personalities of the lower courts. More importantly, however, it deals with the suffering and courage of the litigants themselves.

As such, it is a terrific book for both introductory American Government and judicial politics/process courses at the college level.

I have also used Irons' new book JIM CROW'S CHILDREN in my upper division course on Racial Equality and the U.S. Supreme Court at U.C., Irvine, just this summer.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Courage of Their Convictions: Sixteen Americans, June 14, 2003

By 

"drewhallward" (Acton, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Courage of Their Convictions: Sixteen Americans Who Fought Their Way to the Supreme Court (Paperback)

This was a fantastic book! People may know about some Supreme Court decisions and its impact but I do not think people understand why such important cases were brought before the Supreme Court. We never learn in school who these people were, (they are everyday people) and exactly how much courage and determination it takes to fight your case to the Supreme Court (after all I think S.C hears about 1% of all cases filed to the Court). Irons is an academic but boy you can read this in a day-this is not a dreaded book you are assigned to read for school.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Profiles in courage, December 23, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Courage of Their Convictions: Sixteen Americans Who Fought Their Way to the Supreme Court (Paperback)

Irons does of fine job of describing the uphill battle that a variety of individuals have faced in asserting their basic rights as Americans. Some of these cases righted grevious wrongs, and others are more open to debate. But then, the law is not a popularity contest. The fact that humble and even unpopular cases can nonetheless get their day in court, and get fair and due process, is something that every American should be proud of. It's something worth remembering and defending, something worth protecting, and Peter Irons shows you *why* in this book.