Justices & Presidents: A Political History of Appointments to the Supreme Court [Hardcover]

Henry J. Abraham (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0195065573 | ISBN-13: 978-0195065572 | Publication Date: February 6, 1992 | Edition: 3

This new edition of this classic history of the Supreme Court discusses the selection, nomination, and appointment of each of the Justices who have sat on the U.S. Supreme Court since 1789. Abraham provides a fascinating account of the presidential motivations behind each nomination, examining how each appointee's performance on the bench fulfilled, or disappointed, presidential expectations.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for the Third Edition: "Well worth acquiring because the author brings to bear an excellent combination of first-rate scholarship and fine writing ability."--Choice

"This edition of Henry Abraham's comprehensive analysis of the two-hundred years of presidential selection of members of the Supreme Court of the United States is exceptionally lucid, graceful, and delightfully written....The 1992 edition of Justices and Presidents is a splendid contribution."--Political Science Quarterly

Praise for the Second Edition:

"The highest tribunal is well presented as a tripartite entity, a legal, political, and human institution."--International Social Science Review

"[A] readable yet scholarly short history of appointees, their politics and performance throughout U.S. history."--Judicature

"A masterpiece of scholarly analysis. The pathbreaking achievement of 1974 has been thoroughly updated to incorporate the scholarship and events of the last decade. It remains the definitive work in the field of Supreme Court appointments."--Stanley C. Brubaker, Colgate University

"[Abraham's] are the meticulous judgments of a scholar and the provocative narrative of a first-rate writer. A superlative discussion."--Stephen R. Schlesinger, U.S. Department of Justice

"This book is the best known and most widely respected book on this topic....It reflects great scholarly analysis and a painstaking search for facts. The meticulous judgments are convincing. The prose is often lively and always highly readable. Its 450 pages went by quickly....A valuable and insightful treatise."--The Appellate Practice Journal and Update

About the Author

Henry J. Abraham, James Hart Professor of Government and Foreign Affairs, University of Virginia.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 3 edition (February 6, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195065573
• ISBN-13: 978-0195065572
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,688,806 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Exactly the General History of the Court I Have Been Looking For, February 10, 2010

By 

Marc Korman (Maryland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Justices and Presidents: A Political History of Appointments to the Supreme Court (Paperback)

Of the three branches of the federal government, I suspect I am not alone in knowing the least about the history of the Supreme Court, particularly before the hyperpartisan appointments of the 1980s began. Even after three years of law school, I know a lot of justices names but not too much about their history, how they were appointed, who they replaced, and what their jurisprudence was like.

Abraham's book gives a great, general history of the court and its appointees. It even touches on some of the major cases the justices wrestled with, jogging my memories of constitutional law. For non-law students, regular use of wikipedia will improve enjoyment of the book.

Abraham has several themes: the scholarly view of the appointing president, the criteria a president used in making appointments, and the performance of their selected justice. Of course, the quality of the appointing president and appointed justice are not thoroughly discussed in the later chapters where it was too early (at the time of publication) to fairly do so.

Abraham's story is essentially chronological. He goes through each president and discusses each of their appointments, then follows that appointee through their time on the court before jumping backwards to the next appointee. The book does a thorough job with even somewhat obscure justices I had never heard of and probably never will again. Some may quibble with Abraham's characterization of justices and presidents based on scholarly rankings, but it makes for an effective, short hand method to cover a lot of ground quickly.

I did learn as I was finishing up the book that later editions have been released. I would encourage anyone interested to pick up the latest edition, as the third edition essentially ends with the selection of Clarence Thomas (though before his confirmation).

If you enjoyed books like The Nine but want a broader view of the court's history, I strongly suggest one of Abraham's books.