The MAN WHO ONCE WAS WHIZZER WHITE: A PORTRAIT OF JUSTICE BYRON R WHITE (Hardcover)

by Dennis Hutchinson (Author) "THE TRAJECTORY of immigration for Byron White's ancestors resembled that of many during the mid-nineteenth century-a straight line west through Pennsylvania along the National Road,..." (more)
Key Phrases: plenary docket, harmless error rule, football contract, Byron White, New York, Robert Kennedy (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Justice Byron White had a life that could fill two biographies. As a young man, he was a national celebrity as a student athlete who excelled on both fronts. On the gridiron, he led Colorado to its first bowl game and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting; in the classroom, he earned himself a Rhodes scholarship. But he put off going to Oxford to lead the National Football League in rushing, garnering a record salary along the way. He served in World War II in the Pacific, and returned to earn another degree from Yale Law and clerk for the Supreme Court. After a year in the Kennedy administration, he was appointed to the Supreme Court, where he served three decades.

White's reputation with the press as a Supreme Court justice suffered because, despite his personal pro-choice views and desire for privacy, he dissented in Roe v. Wade and, 13 years later, wrote the majority opinion in Bowers v. Hardwick, determining that "the Constitution does not confer a fundamental right upon homosexuals to engage in sodomy," even behind closed doors.

Hutchinson argues persuasively that these opinions were the result of a consistent judicial philosophy that refused to view the judiciary as a legislature. In his dissenting opinion in Roe v. Wade, for example, White wrote, "This issue, for the most part, should be left with the people and to the political processes the people have devised to govern their affairs." And in Bowers v. Hardwick, he commented, "The Court is most vulnerable and comes nearest to illegitimacy when it deals with judge-made constitutional law having little or no cognizable roots in the language or design of the Constitution."

Dennis Hutchinson, a former clerk for White and a University of Chicago Law professor, has written a smooth-reading biography of White, although it suffers from some gaps in coverage caused by his subject's passive lack of cooperation. Although clearly sympathetic to his subject, he writes in a neutral tone that provides a thorough overview of the justice's press coverage and Supreme Court work, helped in the latter by interviews with several dozen clerks (and, no doubt, Hutchinson's own experience). A remarkable book about a remarkable man. --Ted Frank

From Publishers Weekly
Justice Byron White, who retired from the Supreme Court in 1993, 31 years after his appointment by President Kennedy, remains a contentious figure. Liberal critics deride a plodding, reactionary, homophobic decision-maker who inadequately protected citizens from government intrusion into their private lives, reneged on support for affirmative action and wrote few memorable opinions. But in University of Chicago law professor Hutchinson's admiring, dry biography, WhiteARhodes scholar, college and pro football star (whence the nickname "Whizzer"), Colorado lawyer, decorated Navy veteranAwas a nonideological, self-effacing, principled public servant, a moving force on First Amendment libel and privacy issues. White, a publicity-shy ex-athlete who declined to be interviewed for this bio, even though Hutchinson once clerked for him, is best remembered for dissenting in 1973 on Roe v. Wade, not because he objected to abortion but because he believed there is no constitutional support for such a right. Hutchinson's closely argued, nuanced brief will appeal mostly to legal buffs.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 592 pages
• Publisher: Free Press (July 12, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684827948
• ISBN-13: 978-0684827940
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #183,423 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #38 in

  Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Professionals & Academics > Lawyers & Judges

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Colorful Portrait Of A Man Named White, March 25, 1999

By	Charles M. Wyzanski (CAMBRIDGE, MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Hutchinson has written a fascinating contemporary biography of Justice White who is almost unique in his continued insistence on his privacy and personal dignity. Although the author eschews speculation as to White's family or personal life, one still gets a good sense of the man--his intelligence, tenacity, and just plain decency. At least as interesting are the times he lived in, and few lawyers or judges have shared the action and passion of their times more fully than Justice White--first on the gridiron, then in the classroom, in the world of affairs, and on the court. White had his shortcomings as a communicator and legal theorist, as Hutchinson aptly illustrates with the oral and written record. But would that our society had more such self-effacing, dedicated and excellent lawyers and public servants!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Insightful analysis of a very private man, October 29, 1998

By A Customer

Generally the book is good, but I would have liked to see less excessive detail about the football days -- college and professional. Half the book is devoted to this, including vital statistics of key games. (But if your interested in the earliest days of professional football this is a must read.) The scope of White's responsibilities with the Kennedy Justice department focused nearly exclusively on civil rights -- wasn't there more to his role and contributions? The author used three Supreme Court terms (out of 30+) to explore and elucidate White's jurisprudence. I would have like to see 2/3 less sports and 2/3 more Supreme Court. In the end, White's tightly focused and methodical approach has a value that I hope more Justices and judges adopt. Although he wasn't poetic or espoused ground-shaking social changes, his substantive value to the American legal system is widely misunderstood and underestimated, as Hutchison clearly documents. Lastly, we learn how much White disapproved of his nickname. It's a shame that the primary title had to force the name again on this proud man.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An interesting book about a great Supreme Court Justice., June 19, 1998

By A Customer

This is the first full-scale book about the most interesting Supreme Court Justice of the 20th Century. This book, which I just received from Amazon, provides a wonderful picture of a man whose accomplishments, on and off the bench, are truly amazing. A must read for anyone interested in the law, politics, American history or the Supreme Court.