The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court 1st Edition

by Jeffrey Toobin (Author)

497 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0385516402

ISBN-10: 0385516401

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Bestselling author Jeffrey Toobin takes you into the chambers of the most important—and secret—legal body in our country, the Supreme Court, and reveals the complex dynamic among the nine people who decide the law of the land.

Just in time for the 2008 presidential election—where the future of the Court will be at stake—Toobin reveals an institution at a moment of transition, when decades of conservative disgust with the Court have finally produced a conservative majority, with major changes in store on such issues as abortion, civil rights, presidential power, and church-state relations.

Based on exclusive interviews with justices themselves, The Nine tells the story of the Court through personalities—from Anthony Kennedy's overwhelming sense of self-importance to Clarence Thomas's well-tended grievances against his critics to David Souter's odd nineteenth-century lifestyle. There is also, for the first time, the full behind-the-scenes story of Bush v. Gore—and Sandra Day O'Connor's fateful breach with George W. Bush, the president she helped place in office.

The Nine is the book bestselling author Jeffrey Toobin was born to write. A CNN senior legal analyst and New Yorker staff writer, no one is more superbly qualified to profile the nine justices.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It's not laws or constitutional theory that rule the High Court, argues this absorbing group profile, but quirky men and women guided by political intuition. New Yorker legal writer Toobin (The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson) surveys the Court from the Reagan administration onward, as the justices wrestled with abortion, affirmative action, the death penalty, gay rights and church-state separation. Despite a Court dominated by Republican appointees, Toobin paints not a conservative revolution but a period of intractable moderation. The real power, he argues, belonged to supreme swing-voter Sandra Day O'Connor, who decided important cases with what Toobin sees as an almost primal attunement to a middle-of-the-road public consensus. By contrast, he contends, conservative justices Rehnquist and Scalia ended up bitter old men, their rigorous constitutional doctrines made irrelevant by the moderates' compromises. The author deftly distills the issues and enlivens his narrative of the Court's internal wranglings with sharp thumbnail sketches (Anthony Kennedy the vain bloviator, David Souter the Thoreauvian ascetic) and editorials (inept and unsavory is his verdict on the Court's intervention in the 2000 election). His savvy account puts the supposedly cloistered Court right in the thick of American life. (A final chapter and epilogue on the 2006–2007 term, with new justices Roberts and Alito, was unavailable to PW.) (Sept. 18)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Bookmarks Magazine

The Nine is a welcome addition to the spate of recent Supreme Court histories (see Jan Crawford Greenburg's Supreme Conflict, ***1/2 May/June 2007). Informative and authoritative, Jeffrey Toobin's account draws on exclusive interviews with the principals (one critic cited a possible breach of secrecy) and offers colorful anecdotes about the members of the Court. The most important parts of the book explore Sandra Day O'Connor's critical swing votes, Clinton's impeachment hearings, and the Court's role in Bush v. Gore. "The tragedy," Toobin concludes, "was not that it led to Bush's victory, but the inept and unsavory manner that the justices exercised their power." Only David J. Garrow, a Supreme Court historian, faulted Toobin's "debatable opinions" and disdain for various justices. Well written, though chronologically disjointed, The Nine is, overall, a timely and important examination of the Court's past-and its future.

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Product details

Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Doubleday; 1 edition (September 18, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385516401
ISBN-13: 978-0385516402
Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.3 x 9.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 497 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #193,058 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #49 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > United States > Judicial Branch
- #64 in Books > Law > Rules & Procedures > Courts
- #215 in Books > Textbooks > Social Sciences > Political Science > Government

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Richard S. Dixon Jr.

Abridged Too Far: Toobin comes up short in the Audio book version.

March 21, 2017

Format: Audio CDVerified Purchase

This is a heavily abridged audio version of Toobin's longer published book. I enjoy Toobin on CNN a great deal; his reporting is even-handed, "lawyer-ly" (in a good sense) and very smart, in general. This book follows much the same pattern. Toobin is not extreme, and he is not rabidly political. If you want a solid work on the background of the Supreme Court, this is it. One caveat however, regarding this audio book: it is a much shortened edition of the real book, and I was very disappointed when I discovered that, in that much of the legal analysis has been dropped in favor of narrative. I regret that, as I regard Toobin as a real smart guy, from whom I can learn a great deal. Still, this audio book is a good start; the book is even better.

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Irish in Carmichael

The Dem's Have It -- In Overtime

May 1, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Writer does a very reasonable job in researching the topic, sees the Court as political--which it often is. He reaches for conclusions of "good" Democrats--"bad" Republicans when evaluating Kennedy decisions or opining on the basis for O'Connor rulings and her conclusions--which I doubt she ever spoke or wrote. You probably need to balance this slant on history with a more thorough reading of the Court's actual activity and some of O'Connor's writings. I expect the Judges would all consider themselves more intellectually grounded than Mr. Toobin gives credit. Over the last three decades the Court's decisions have been chronicled as more political, a trend it is hard to evaluate but Mr. Toobin assures us he has done so fairly...I and others don't remember history as he frames it in a number of sequences. I expect those leaning to the Democratic side of the isle will find his book entertaining and consistent with their reality. Perhaps they can explain why the Court's conservative majority did not overwhelmingly make all decisions on a political basis. Mr. Toobin does not create his data, and he does not misinterpret his facts--he just draws somewhat biased or unfounded conclusions. Good background info.

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JilliePepper

I suppose it might be dull for someone who is entirely uninterested in history or ...

September 3, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Heard about this book from a friend and bought it sight unseen. I could not put it down!! I suppose it might be dull for someone who is entirely uninterested in history or justice or politics but for anyone with even a slight interest in these things, I highly recommend. I feel like I understand recent judicial history so much more clearly and I loved the opportunity to get to know the justices on a more personal level. I will definitely read again--love seeing this one on my bookshelf!

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Kindle Customer

Read It Twice!!

February 18, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Excellent work, made the complex workings of our highest court extremely understandable, especially in light of today's issues and the vacant seat waiting to be filled. Mr. Tobin I thank you! Five Stars🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

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Adam J. Loewy

A Very Good Historical Synopsis of the Modern Supreme Court

October 24, 2008

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Jeffrey Toobin delivers a very fast-paced and readable synopsis of the past 30+ years of the Supreme Court. This book moves very fast but covers the highlights of the Court that we know today.

The best part of the book is his biographical sketches of the Justices. Toobin really makes them come to life and has some very interesting behind-the-scenes vignettes of them. Especially interesting is his analysis of the Clinton and Bush II nominees - especially the Harriet Miers debacle and the John Roberts nomination.

The book sometimes wanders when it discusses the actual cases and his analysis of Bush v. Gore is too partisan for my tastes (and I am a Democrat). But for someone who didn't take Constitutional Law in law school, this will be a good summary of the most important recent decisions.

The only main criticism I have is the structure. Toobin never gives a roadmap as to what he is going to cover and the chapter headings don't allow the reader to know what the chapter is going to be about (e.g. "Just Deserts" or "Question Presented"). He was being too cute here and took me a while to figure out where the book was heading (it's fairly chronological after the first 50 pages).

In all, I found myself tearing through this book and for a topic that could be potentially very boring, I will tip my hat to Toobin.

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Fascinating Look at the Supreme Court since Roe V Wade

September 6, 2010

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I always enjoyed watching Toobin on CNN, and this book was even better. It is an engrossing narrative of the nine members of the Supreme Court and a fascinating look at the discussions and conversations that went into some of the Court's most renowned rulings. The narrative of Bush Vs Gore was wonderful and engaging, and so was the descriptions of the faith based court cases championed by Christian lawyer Jay Sekulow.

I really appreciated the glimpses Toobin gives us of the private lives of the court members. You meet the conservative Scalia, the battle scarred conservative Clarence Thomas, the brilliant and scholarly Sandra Day O'Connor, the reserved and quiet David Souter, the sturdy leader Judge Rehnquist, and the others. You learn about the Ruth Bader Ginsburg nomination process, and the challenges that the Court faced in deliberating cases related to the abortion issue.

I would recommend this book to anyone. Thumbs up.

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Richard Kagan

Ideology, Pragmatism and the Supreme Court

October 4, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

A careful analysis of the evolution of the Supreme Court from Berger to Rehnquist and Roberts that pays particular attention to the role of swing justices like Sandra Day O'Connor who kept the Court from tipping too far to the right. That said, Tobin points to the increasing polarization of the Court in recent years reflecting deep ideological divisions within American society and politics.

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