First published 2019
On June 27, 2018, Justice Anthony Kennedy secretly visits the White House to announce his retirement to President Trump. This single act triggers a confirmation battle that will consume Washington and threaten to destroy Brett Kavanaugh's life. When Trump selects Kavanaugh from his judicial shortlist, the stakes explode beyond previous nominations. Kennedy's seat controls the Court's swing vote on abortion, transforming what should be a routine process into political warfare. Unproven sexual assault allegations emerge as weapons of personal destruction. The confirmation hearings devolve into a circus of accusations and denials. Kavanaugh delivers an emotional defense that saves his nomination from certain death. Hemingway reveals the behind-the-scenes maneuvering through interviews with over one hundred participants, including the president, justices, and senators who shaped this drama. The book exposes how America's judicial confirmation system has broken down completely after thirty years of escalating dysfunction. Each Supreme Court vacancy now carries such enormous consequences that destroying nominees becomes almost inevitable.
Genres: history, political-science, non-fiction, biography-memoir, 21st-century, current-affairs, law, american-history
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: political-drama, true-story
Setting: United States, Washington D.C.
Period: 2018
375 pages · Hardcover · Regnery