The Majesty of the Law: Reflections of a Supreme Court Justice (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "Despite all that is written about the nation's Court and all the television coverage of the Justices' speeches and public appearances, day-to-day life at the..." (more)
Key Phrases: judicial tradition, duction number, women judges, United States, First Amendment, Magna Carta (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

O'Connor, veteran associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, distills in this book the scores of talks she has given across the country and around the world in the 20 years since her accession to the high court. O'Connor, the author of the bestselling memoir Lazy B, is an enthusiast of the American legal system, reaching back to its origins in the Magna Carta and, later, in the English Privy Council, with its power to invalidate legislation. Declaring federal and state laws unconstitutional, of course, is the core of the Supreme Court's authority over this country's legal system, and O'Connor traces the exercise of that authority from the era of Chief Justice John Marshall to Brown v. Board of Education. In other chapters, O'Connor profiles Supreme Court titans such as Holmes and Taft, and reviews the long struggle to gain for women the right to vote. Elsewhere, the author suggests reforms for the jury system, extols the benefits of an independent judiciary and offers a graceful tribute to Justice Thurgood Marshall. Canons of ethics prohibit judges from public comment on controversial matters likely to arise in their future cases, and a Supreme Court justice cannot reveal the dynamics of the Court's deliberations. These rules of discretion pervade O'Connor's book. Divisive (and provocative) issues such as abortion, the death penalty or affirmative action are addressed only in the broadest possible generalities. Purged of controversy, O'Connor's book is an engagingly written civics lesson, delivering a warm appreciation of legal history and principles but little light on the issues the Supreme Court confronts today.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-Justice O'Connor gives a history of the U.S. judicial system with an emphasis on how the Supreme Court evolved into its present form. For students only dimly aware of the court through a basic civics class and the occasional sensational case highlighted by the media, this title will prove to be enlightening. The book takes on a conversational tone, and it's easy to imagine oneself in a university lecture hall with O'Connor as the (usually) fascinating professor who has her feet firmly planted in the real world. To get the most out of the book, it should be read cover to cover. However, it is also useful for readers who wish commentary on particular aspects of the Supreme Court, historical cases, or personalities. The tone is even, and O'Connor has a kind and often complimentary attitude toward fellow justices past and present. High points are her experiences working with Justice Thurgood Marshall, and her thoughts on women and the law. As a bonus, she includes a glimpse into her views on judicial systems of countries that are undergoing their own painful evolutions, such as the former Soviet bloc. All in all, this is a good book for readers who would like a personable introduction to one of our nation's most powerful institutions.
Sheila Shoup, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Random House; 1 edition (April 8, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375509259
• ISBN-13: 978-0375509254
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #559,189 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Okay, but strictly elementary., August 1, 2003

By	J. H. Huebert (Ohio, United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Majesty of the Law: Reflections of a Supreme Court Justice (Audio CD)

I'm not sure what _The Majesty of the Law_ is really about. It's partly a recap of the writing of the U.S. Constitution and a few important people and decisions in the Supreme Court's history. It's partly a history of the women's movement. It's partly Justice O'Connor's personal recollections about people she's worked with.

What she writes is basically okay, but there is nothing particularly interesting or challenging about it. Most of the ideas presented are civics class platitudes--people should be treated equally regardless of race or gender, and that sort of thing. Nothing much wrong with it, but it is not as intellectually stimulating as some other judges' and justices' books.

Perhaps it is best compared to a junior high social studies book, which happens to be written by someone who has spent a couple of decades on the United States Supreme Court. And that's part of what makes it so frustrating: anyone could have given us this kind of runthrough of the material she covers, even without being a Supreme Court justice. Surely Justice O'Connor has more to offer than this.

It's not quite a bad book. It might be useful to introduce a 12-year-old to the material, and if that is what she was aiming for, she has done well. But well read adults who have heard it all before are likely to be bored.

17 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Called for jury duty? Show up with this book!, July 10, 2003

By	Dr Cathy Goodwin (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

As other reviewers have noted, this book is not an in-depth analysis of legal issues. Rather it's an attempt to provide an informal, backstage glimpse into life on the Supreme Court from the perspective of the first woman justice.

Some of her points will loom large with women who, like me, were "firsts" on a much smaller scale. For instance, she notes the significance of changing the nameplates from "Mr. Justice..." to simply "Justice..."

As we might expect from a down-home woman who was brought up riding horses in Arizona, O'Connor remains modest and matter-of-fact. She recognizes her role and the respect she deserves. She describes the difficulties of women in the law, frankly and without self-pity, and acknowledges the preference for sharing experiences with other women in law.

And her behind-the-scenes glimpses reflect her perspective as a woman who cares about people as well as principles. She shares wonderful anecdotes about Thurgood Marshall. And she says absolutely nothing about Clarence Thomas, even when discussing the process of confirmation to the Court.

In my favorite chapter, Justice O'Connor raises strong, provocative questions about jury duty. Established 900 years ago, she says, the concept remains sound but the implementation is due for an overhaul. Why shouldn't jurors take notes? Why should they be subjected to long waits in uncomfortable rooms? And jurors surely deserve better compensation, she says.

O'Connor compares US juries with those of other English-speaking countries -- England, Canada, and Australia. She notes that other countries do not send civil cases to juries as frequently, so jurors do not have to sit through days and weeks of complex testimony that leaves them so bewildered they may as well flip a coin. (Actually a coin flip would be fairer than trying to sort through half-remembered facts!) And lawyers spend so much time psyching out jurors they want to challenge that jury selection can take weeks. In Europe, says O'Connor, juries are selected in minutes!

If anything, Justice O'Connor doesn't go far enough. Paying for jury service won't help a self-employed or sales person who could lose an account worth thousands of dollars. And jurors often experience serious emotional symptoms following a difficult case.

However, it is refreshing to hear such honesty from a distinguished member of the legal profession. O'Connor even recalls the New Yorker cartoon where a jury foreman tells the judge, "We find the defendant guilty and sentence him to jury duty." So true! I'm told that some juries begin to identify with criminal defendants -- they're treated in more or less the same way!

If you know someone who's called for jury duty, buy him or her this book -- good reading for the interminable, senseless waiting time.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Occasionally a little light on scholarship but a great read, February 22, 2005

By	D. Sean West (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

While occasionally suffering from a rose colored view of the world this is an immensely enjoyable and informative book.

Broken up into several different sections this book ranges from a look at the progress of women in society in general, within the law in specific as well as an overview of several areas of jurisprudence. I must admit that I wasn't expecting too much from this book after reading the initial chapter. Thanks to a teacher who I very much respected, Professor Kobylka, I received an excellent in-depth look into several areas of Con Law so I didn't think that this would offer much to it - but I was wrong! While I really enjoyed those classes there is much that could be gained from getting wide view of everything in it's contact in addition to having had those areas of in depth study.

O'Conner, in her unique position as the first female justice on the supreme court, also provides great insight into the position of women in the law today. While personally I prefer the jurisprudence of Ginsburg in this area to that of O'Connor's I was still able to get new insight into those areas which I as a man am so often unaware of.

The only real time that I felt something was really left out of the legal history provided here was that Ex Parte McCardle was left out of the discussion of habeas corpus jurisprudence.

While one shouldn't go into this work with the expectation that it is a scholarly piece it is both enjoyable and informative and whereas other works are better suited to academic purposes getting to read the thoughts of an actually justice is highly valuable.