The Nine

The Nine: inside the secret world of the supreme court by Jeffrey Toobin 369 pg.

This book has been on my list for awhile and I'm glad I got to it. I had a professor in college once who said he would not bother to cross a street to have a personal audience with the president but would run 50 city blocks just to see a supreme court justice in a parade. The idea that our highest court is/should be filled with some of the smartest people in the land always stuck with me. This book gives an interesting perspective on the court. It mostly focuses on the Rehnquist court...the longest serving group of nine in the history of the country but also talks about the Robert's court and W's other nominee, Samuel Alito. More than anything, Toobin gives a great overview of the influence of Sandra Day O'Connor and her massive influence on the opinions and outcomes in her years on the court. Nominated by Ronald Reagan, she forged a moderate path between the liberal and conservative extremes and ended up being the "swing vote" for many years thus giving her more influence then the other justices. I enjoyed learning a bit more of the personalities of the justices and have a better understanding of the makeup of the court and how it functions. - Christa

Check our catalog

Supreme court online