The Supreme Court: A New Edition of the Chief Justice's Classic History

by William H. Rehnquist

Book Overview

The sixteenth Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist's classic book offers a lively and accessible history of the Supreme Court. Chief Justice Rehnquist's engaging writing illuminates both the high and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375409432
• ISBN13: 9780375409431
• Release Date: February 2001
• Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
• Length: 302 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.6" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Masterpiece - short yet stuffed with perspective

I was surprised to read that some readers found this book a dry read. On the contrary, I would propose that Chief Justice Rehnquist is a wonderful writer who provides a short masterpiece on the history of the Court. Two perspectives on the history of the Court create the primary structure of the book: 1) Rehnquist reviews specific cases in chronological order that have created the most imporant body of law used by the Supreme Court and required to be followed by the lower courts as they conduct their appellate work. He weaves in the personalities of the Court and sometimes of the Presidents who impact the Court, along with the historical perspective driving these issues by using a narrative structure. We are told stories rather than being forced to review lists of dates and people. This portion of the book also describes how the Court accepts cases through the eyes of a young court clerk, William Rehnquist himself. 2) There are a couple of chapters in the back of the book that explains how the court conducts its work, such as oral argument and how the court decides cases and delegates the writing of rulings and opinions. While interesting to read Rehnquist's perspecive, Bob Woodward's "The Brethern: Inside the Supreme Court" provides a more complete picture of the inner-workings of the Court. Justice Rehnquist surprised me with the lack of ideology contained in this book. As opposed to Mr. Gingrich's new book that is basically a propaganda tract rife with deceptions, Rehnquist provides a mostly honest and fair assessment of not only the perspective of conservatives like him, but also the liberal side. Rehnquist, like Kenneth Starr's "First Among Equals", can be counted on to provide an accurate protrayal of the issues worked out by previous courts. Mr. Rehnquist also surprised me with his writing talent, while his opinions have always been first rate reading, they are those of an advocate for a certain position which filter-out competing positions. This book is truly a well-written, honest look at the history of the court; Rehnquist provides respectful commentary of competing positions. This book is one of my primary resources I've continuously used over the years when I require some insight into a past case, court, or justice.

Delightful Historical Insight Into The High Court

This able jurist takes the reader into the heart and history of the nation's high court, beginning with his own beginnings there as a clerk to one of the Justices. His flair for the historical setting and the surrounding circumstances makes for easy reading. He does not assume that his readership is well versed in technical legal jargon so is careful to define and explain as he goes, which this reviewer found very helpful. Even when I thought I knew what he was referring to, his clarity and succinctness helped immensely in the experience. For much of our country who harbors wrong thinking about the Supreme Court, how they operate and what they are to do Constituionally this is just the book to give the needed correction. Essentially this book serves that purpose well: to provide the chronolical history of the court's developments including profiles of the justices, its changing legal posture, its historic, landmark cases and Chief Justice Rehnquist's running commentary on such. It is lucid, well structured and thus easy to follow and insightful. Especially was his valuable contributions on just how the court has functioned, now functions on selecting cases to hear. I was intrigued especially by the government's seizure of the steel industry and Montgomery Ward's Chicago headquarters during WWII. Just a great read from beginning to end which will and should span a wide breath of readers. Worthy to become classic on the topic. Glad that he didn't write this as memoirs on his court term. That likely will to come, or be published posthumously.

Superb Introduction and Balanced Account

The Supreme Court is a concise and balanced introductory account of the most important supreme court cases beginning with Marbury v. Madison and ending with the decisions of the Warren Court.The cases are presented without legal jargon so that their significance can be understood by the layman. Rehnquist does a superb job of framing each case with the surrounding history, thereby making the work also a succinct introduction to American history and politics. For example, the discussion of the Dred Scott decision is presented within the brewing debate over slavery and events such as the Compromise of 1850.Rehnquist limits his discussion of the cases to the decision at hand. Thus, readers will be disappointed if they expect to find an explication either of the *legal reasoning* underlying the decisions or Rehnquist's own constitutional stance. Nonetheless, this is probably the best introductory account of the major supreme court cases and their significance.There is a glaring lacunae and that is Rehnquist's account of Brown v. Board of Education, the signal decision of the Warren Court. Aside from noting that it overruled Plessy v. Ferguson, Rehnquist is unusally silent on the substance of the case. The lacunae is noticeable since as a law clerk to Justice Robert Jackson, Rehnquist wrote a famous memo arguing that Plessy v. Ferguson was "right and should be reaffirmed".

Very Informative and Well Written

When I first read this book, I prepared myself for somewhat of a conservative slant, given the tone of many of Rehnquist's decisions since he was appointed to the Court in 1971. However, and quite surprisingly, this book is well-written and does not attempt to present a conservative view of the Supreme Court. As the previous customer reviewer noted, this is an excellent book for the layperson who wants to understand how the Court functions. As an attorney, I find it concise and written so as to explain the inner workings of the Court without trying to be patronizing or condescending. I'm highly impressed!

A good book for laymen

In this book, Chief Justice Rehnquist describes what the Court was like in its early years, includes some of the personal experiences he had with the Court as a young law clerk, and touches briefly on how the Court works today (or, in 1989).Primarily written to non-lawyers, Rehnquist's book would be of most value to common citizens wishing to know a little more about the Supreme Court. Laymen will be pleased that Rehnquist takes care to define some of the legal terms used by the Court, and that the book reads in a way that is fairly easy to understand.