I'm about to finish "The Nine," written by CNN Legal Analyst Jeffrey Toobin. The book is interesting and provides inside information about the court and especially the relationships between the nine justices. For instance, did you know former justice Sandra Day O'Connor (appointed by a Republican but generally a liberal justice) and current justice Antonin Scalia (appointed by a Republican but generally a conservative justice) are very good friends and travel partners? Interesting stuff.
I do have one criticism though. I notice he has a tendency to say "so and so believes this," but does not include a direct quotation or even cite that information in the back. I noticed this particuarly with information on Justice Clarence Thomas. I finished reading Thomas' memoir a few months ago and found the information in Toobin's book to contradict. Anyway...just a heads up. Eric, I know you read it...what do you think? P.S., I called the justices either liberal or conservative. Technically, that's not correct. It is better to say something along the lines of living constitutionalist (liberal) or textualist/strict-constitutionalist (conservative).
2 comments:
I think this book should be required reading for all U.S. citizens. I found it to be journalistic in its integrity.
One interesting fact that keeps playing over and over in my mind is how VERY much Sandra Day O'Connor dislikes G.W. Bush. She is a Republican appointee and, arguably, handed the election to Bush.
The last few years of her term, she became darn near vitriolic about Bush.
Or how about John Paul Stevens who moves his desk as the sun moves across the sky because he hates un-natural light and anything that has to do with technology!
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