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The Supreme Court: A New Edition of the Chief Justice's Classic History Hardcover – January 1, 2004
| William H. Rehnquist (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
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- Print length302 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherAlfred A Knopf
- Publication dateJanuary 1, 2004
- ISBN-10030729014X
- ISBN-13978-0307290328
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Product details
- Publisher : Alfred A Knopf; New Edition (January 1, 2004)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 302 pages
- ISBN-10 : 030729014X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0307290328
- Item Weight : 1.5 pounds
- Best Sellers Rank: #171,557 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #64 in Courts & Law
- Customer Reviews:
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Two perspectives on the history of the Court create the primary structure of the book:
1) Rehnquist reviews specific cases in chronological order that have created the most imporant body of law used by the Supreme Court and required to be followed by the lower courts as they conduct their appellate work. He weaves in the personalities of the Court and sometimes of the Presidents who impact the Court, along with the historical perspective driving these issues by using a narrative structure. We are told stories rather than being forced to review lists of dates and people. This portion of the book also describes how the Court accepts cases through the eyes of a young court clerk, William Rehnquist himself.
2) There are a couple of chapters in the back of the book that explains how the court conducts its work, such as oral argument and how the court decides cases and delegates the writing of rulings and opinions. While interesting to read Rehnquist's perspecive, Bob Woodward's "The Brethern: Inside the Supreme Court" provides a more complete picture of the inner-workings of the Court.
Justice Rehnquist surprised me with the lack of ideology contained in this book. As opposed to Mr. Gingrich's new book that is basically a propaganda tract rife with deceptions, Rehnquist provides a mostly honest and fair assessment of not only the perspective of conservatives like him, but also the liberal side. Rehnquist, like Kenneth Starr's "First Among Equals", can be counted on to provide an accurate protrayal of the issues worked out by previous courts.
Mr. Rehnquist also surprised me with his writing talent, while his opinions have always been first rate reading, they are those of an advocate for a certain position which filter-out competing positions. This book is truly a well-written, honest look at the history of the court; Rehnquist provides respectful commentary of competing positions. This book is one of my primary resources I've continuously used over the years when I require some insight into a past case, court, or justice.
Chief Justice Rehnquist writes in a style which surprised me. This is not the tedious logical construction found in so many of the Court's opinions - rather, this book reads like a good novel, that occasionally will detour into a detailed explanation of a key point.
Rehnquist betrays his own fine sense of the political and social context underlying the Court's decisions - he frankly discusses the cases and the great social issues of the day that are reflected many of the opinions. Although sometimes dismissed by his own political opponents as an ideologue, Rehnquist demonstrates that he has a deft touch in pragmatism - at least when it comes to observing the functioning of the Court prior to his own service. Even if Rehnquist would be more of an originalist, he betrays an appreciation and admiration for the significant jurists, such as Marshall and Taney, who took the Court down its path away from the founders' expressed intent, while pointing out the consequences of the tough choices made by the Court's leaders.
The writing is approachable without being condescending. It would make a good companion book to any study of the Constitution and the Court, particularly for non-lawyers looking for a book that doesn't rely on too much legal jargon. However, for those of you who already know both Madison and Marbury, which Buckley sued Valeo, and why sick chickens matter to the Constitution, this book will delight you. However, I suspect you have already found it before I did.
Instead, this book is a somewhat dry look at the history of the court and gives some interesting background information regarding some of the Justices that have sat on the Court.
This book would be good for those of you who want a little more history of the Court, but are not looking for great insights into the law or its development.
Really enjoyed the steps in the journey from Supreme Court clerk to Chief Justice that Chief Justice Rehnquist took me on.



