PDF The Brethren Inside the Supreme Court Audible Audio Edition Bob Woodward Scott Armstrong Holter Graham Simon Schuster Audio Books
Download As PDF : The Brethren Inside the Supreme Court Audible Audio Edition Bob Woodward Scott Armstrong Holter Graham Simon Schuster Audio Books
The Brethren is the first detailed behind-the-scenes account of the Supreme Court in action.
Bob Woodward and Scott Armstrong have pierced its secrecy to give us an unprecedented view of the Chief and Associate Justices - maneuvering, arguing, politicking, compromising, and making decisions that affect every major area of American life.Â
PDF The Brethren Inside the Supreme Court Audible Audio Edition Bob Woodward Scott Armstrong Holter Graham Simon Schuster Audio Books
"This is an excellent book and very thought provoking. It is a slow read because of the dryness of the material, but the characters are well defined and it is an inside look at how the Court functioned at the time Burger was Chief Justice, and Nixon was President. It is interesting that of the 3 sections of our government, we're all pretty familiar with how the President and the Congress operate, but mostly in the dark about the operations of the Supreme Court. I really enjoyed the book and feel like I have a better understanding of the Court's procedures."
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The Brethren Inside the Supreme Court Audible Audio Edition Bob Woodward Scott Armstrong Holter Graham Simon Schuster Audio Books Reviews :
The Brethren Inside the Supreme Court Audible Audio Edition Bob Woodward Scott Armstrong Holter Graham Simon Schuster Audio Books Reviews
- Written by Bob Woodward, one of the era's most celebrated investigatory reporters, with inside help from Justice Potter Stewart, the book takes you behind the scenes of the Burger Court through the Nixon and Ford presidencies. Insights into the politics, personalities and proclivities of the justices are both amusing and enlightening. Even though the book is now nearly 40 years old, and all the protagonists have passed on (excepting Justice Stevens), the writing is engaging, the issues timeless, and the insights unique. If you are into politics or court history, this book is a must read.
- This is an excellent book and very thought provoking. It is a slow read because of the dryness of the material, but the characters are well defined and it is an inside look at how the Court functioned at the time Burger was Chief Justice, and Nixon was President. It is interesting that of the 3 sections of our government, we're all pretty familiar with how the President and the Congress operate, but mostly in the dark about the operations of the Supreme Court. I really enjoyed the book and feel like I have a better understanding of the Court's procedures.
- In the Brethren, Woodward uses his insider credentials, and incredible set of sources to break the wall of silence that generally surrounds the inner working of the Supreme Court. Woodward can get just about anyone to talk to him, and that is never more clear than in this book. He's got direct quotes from meetings where there were only five people in attendance. It's amazing.
This book is focused on the Burger court, when a Nixon appointed judge was tried to stem the type of progressive judicial activism the Warren court was known for. This book is fascinating for any one interested in what was happening inside the court during those important years. This book is worth reading for the fascinating back story of how Roe v. Wade got decided, but on top of that it provides gives us fascinating portrayals of some of modern histories most important justices, including William Brennan, Thurgood Marshall, Harry Blackmun, and William Rhenquist.
This is a must read for anyone interested in the inner workings of the Supreme Court, or the controversies surrounding the death penalty and Roe v. Wade. - This book might seem dated it describes the machinations of the court from 1969 to 1976, which included, among other things, Roe v. Wade and the Watergate tapes case. However, it is far from obsolete. The Brethren is a still-unprecedented look into the Supreme Court, the most secretive top-level branch of government. Although the faces (save one) and the cases are different, the way in which cases are decided by this body has likely not, plus it is a look at a tumultous time in ours as well as the Court's history.
The focus of the story is Chief Justice Warren Earl Burger, who replaces Earl Warren after his retirement. The irony of the names is unexplored, but it is appropriate, because Burger becomes progressively preoccupied with trying to match Warren's legacy. Unlike Warren, though, he allows political concerns and vanity to influence his judgment and, bit by bit, erode the confidence of his colleagues, to the point where the late William Rehnquist, then a young conservative on the Court, makes fun of him behind his back. Although this book is unflattering to some of the justices, such as Thurgood Marshall, who is noted as lazy and uninvolved and Byron White, who is noted to be unlikeable, Burger is the biggest loser here. The book was published in the early 80s, only a few years before Burger left the court, and the image of him as a pompous, preening, intellectually deficient and generally clueless politician cost him, big time. In spite of the landmark rulings his Court made, he was unable to reverse the Warren Court's liberal activism (as he had hoped to do). His "Minnesota Twin", Harry Blackmun, would drift further away from him, both politically and personally, until finally becoming the most liberal justice after the departure of Thurgood Marshall in 1991. Burger's Macchiavellian strategizing to assign opinions caused such a backlash that, at one point, William Brennan decides to vote for whatever side of a case puts him in the minority so that Burger won't be able to assign him another crappy oppinion.
Ultimately, Burger had good intentions, but his blunders dominate the book. He is a fascinating character, almost as bad a manager and as delusional as David Brent from the recent BBC TV Series The Office. Some of the principals come out looking good Potter Stewart, for example, and Brennan also. But Rehnquist comes out best, in spite of some scheming and obfuscation. Burger, though, is front and center, and he's a reminder of how we're to seriously we all should take the business of the Court.
