May It Please the Court

by Peter Irons

Book Overview

Until The New Press first published May It Please the Court in 1993, few Americans knew that every case argued before the Supreme Court since 1955 had been recorded. The original book-and-tape set was... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1565840526
• ISBN13: 9781565840522
• Release Date: September 1994
• Publisher: New Press
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Absolutely Outstanding!

This is probably the best item I have purchased all year long, and definitely the most intellectually stimulating. I was expecting a product that would be informative and interesting, but my expectations where surpassed by leaps and bounds. I am currently working on a case as a Pro Se litigant that I feel may very well wind up before the high court before all is said and done, and so I purchased this item to gain insight on how the justices decide cases, the methods used to argue, how the points are made and I was surprised at the quality of the recordings. I typically dislike narrated tapes because many narrators are overbearing and feel the need to explain every little event, usually resulting in my mumbling of various expletives at the tape player like "Shut up and let me decide for myself" and "I want to hear the justices, not you describing the paintings on the wall". May It Please the Court was different however, the narrator spoke no more than necessary and was unusually informative when he did speak. Every citizen who wants to learn how our legal system works should listen to these tapes. I have little doubt that these tapes would prove to be invaluable learning tools in the classrooms in both public high schools and in the collegiate setting. Whether you are a law student, pro se litigant, seasoned attorney or just an average citizen wanting to know more about how the system works, May It Please the Court is well worth the price and your time.

Must Have for ALL Law Students!!

I bought this book because it sounded interesting, and because I hoped that itwould help me remember the cases that I needed to for class. I am a law student. The cases covered in this book are: Baker v Carr, US v Nixon, Deshaney v Winnebago County, Abington School District v Schempp, Edwards v Aguillard, Wisconsin v Yoder, Cox v Louisiana, Tinker v Des Moines, Communist Party v Subversive Activities Control Board, Texas v Johnson, New York Times v United States, Gideon v Wainwright, Terry v Ohio, Miranda v Arizona, Gregg v Georgia, Cooper v Aaron, Heart of Atlanta Motel v US, Loving v Virginia, Palmer v Thompson, Regents v Bakke, San Antonio v Rodriguez, Roe v Wade, and Bowers v Hardwick. These are all super important cases which are studied in multiple classes. It helps to hear the oral argument to understand the issue and what is at stake in these decisions better. If you are a law student and would like to be able to listen to the cases, understand them and therefore remember them better, this series is the way to go. I highly recommend purchasing this book.

This excellent book helps Americans understand the Court

I am not a U.S. Supreme Court enthusiast, but in light of the Courts activity in the 2000 presidential election case (George W. Bush vs. Al Gore), I searched out books on the U.S. Supreme Court and found "May It Please the Court" to be a fascinating read. It sheds light on the ebb and flow of the U.S. Supreme Court's rulings and reasonings over the past 30 years. Recently millions of Americans were privileged to hear live the two presidential election cases that the U.S. Supreme Court took and vicariously we all had a "fascinating you-are-there experience." In "May It Please the Court" editors Peter Irons and Stephanie Guitton spent scores of hours at the National Archives in Washington retrieving and editing twenty-three cases and once again give average Americans the opportunity to experience, in proxy, each court case.In 1955 the U.S. Supreme Court began tape recording all cases from which twenty-three ground-breaking cases were selected by Peter Irons and Stephanie Guitton. These are segmented into five sections: "Secure the Blessings of Liberty," "Congress Shall Make No Law," "In All Criminal Prosecutions," The Equal Protection of the Law" and "A Right of Personal Privacy." Each section has an informative foreword by the Editors. Skilled advocates on both sides, as in the two presidential election cases, argue each landmark case forcefully, and most often, as in the recent presidential election cases, the Court's opinions have sparked controversy. Our Constitution invested great powers in government officials and these powers are only kept in check by the Bill of Rights. And these Rights only have meaning if government officials can be forced to obey them. Only the courts have the ultimate power of enforcement and thus the Supreme Court of the United States of America has the ultimate power. This excellent book helps all Americans to understand how this Court balances the legitimate powers of government officials and the rights of the people. Highly Recommended.

Truly fascinating glimpse of our judicial system at work

These tapes are fascinating! Regardless of how you feel about the issues involved, to hear the arguements made on both sides, and the questions of the justices as they weigh issues in a forum that is protecting our individual rights and our system of government is truly riveting. They make the Supreme Court come alive. And the editors have done a fine job of appropriate commentary to place each case argued in context, and then to further explain what has happened concerning the issue involved since the case was decided. You will want to share the tapes with everyone you know.

may it please me

Well, it sure pleased me enough. I've had this collection of Supreme Court argument transcripts for years, but mostly just listened to the accompanying tape set (the unique part). But this book is pretty good, too. You get edited arguments plus edited majority and dissenting opinions in major cases since 1955--Roe v. Wade, Texas v. Johnson, Tinker v. Des Moines, Gideon v. Wainwright, Miranda v. Arizona. . .Only real problems are: 1) lack of notation on which justices voted for what; 2) ID of some court members speaking in the transcripts; 3) Irons' quite left-wing viewpoint (I don't often disagree with it, but still. . .). This is a really important glimpse into the inner workings of the still-mysterious Supreme Court, revealing all sorts of stuff about the biases and brilliances, the give-and-take, of our highest court, our last bastion of civil liberty (probably the best investigation of this institution since "The Brethren"). There are things in here that infuriate me with their obvious bigotry (Bowers v. Hardwick), others that make me tear up with pride that a government (MY government) would actually champion individual liberty in the face of majority hatred (Texas v. Johnson). Sometimes the court goes bravely against the grain, sometimes it warily reflects common sentiment, but always it's a valuable look at America's brand of democracy and philosophy.--J.Ruch