“The Nine is a fascinating look inside the Supreme Court during the latter years when William Renquist was Chief Justice, focusing on the ten+ years when the same nine justices sat on the court (1994-2005 - Souter, Ginsburg, O'Connor, Stevens, Breyer, Scalia, Reinquest, Thomas, Roberts, Kennedy, and Alito). While not talking down to its readers, this is no scholarly tome. (Although I did learn a few new legal terms that I can now throw around with ease - such as Stare Decisis, which is the legal phrase referring to the obligation of courts to honor past precedents.) No, this is a book written for the layman, be it a somewhat educated layman, and t is very readable.
My favorite Supreme Court Justice served during this time - Sandra Day O'Connor, so I will admit that was one reason I was eager to read this book. And frankly, my admiration for O'Connor only grew from this book. The author is a fan also, I think. Originally appointed as a conservative judge, she became a champion for women's rights and was the swing vote on many key decisions. But this book delves into the background, ideology and decisions (and quirks) of each of the justices serving on the court - and I came to appreciate each justice's pluses and minuses in his or her own right.
A number of important cases came before the court during this time, and they are highlighted in this book. I found it very interesting to learn how the various justices interacted and voted on these decisions - and sometimes the dissenting opinions were just as fascinating to me as the prevailing opinion. Some of these are cases familiar to all of us: Bush vs Gore (the 2004 election), the Terri Schiavo case. And while the names of other cases may not be familiar, the issues certainly are: such as abortion, affirmative action, the death penalty, gay rights and church-state separation.
The book also goes into detail about the nomination processes that took place during that time. Always a political process, it has grown even more political in recent years. Presidents used to consider the experience of the justices being nominated as most important. Now it seems the justice's ideology is most important - and a candidate's opinion and voting record on a few key matters are what will or won't get them nominated. This book concludes with the illness and death of Renquist and resignation of O'Connor, and the selection and appointment process of the justices who replaced them.
I did notice what appeared to be a small amount of liberal leanings in Toobin’s observations about the court. While spotlighting each of the justices at some point in the book, the liberal and moderate justices seemed to come off in a more favorable light than the conservative justices. That brought the book’s rating down a little for me – but only a little. Overall, this is a very readable, educational, informative, and even entertaining look at the Supreme Court. The copy I read came from the county library, but I plan to get a keeper copy for my home library.
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