by Adam Cohen
First published 2020
Adam Cohen examines how Richard Nixon transformed the Supreme Court from a champion of civil rights into a defender of corporate interests. In the 1960s, Chief Justice Earl Warren's court expanded rights for the poor and minorities through landmark decisions like Brown v. Board of Education and the Miranda warning. When Warren retired in 1968, Nixon saw his chance to end what he viewed as the court's liberal overreach. His administration launched a systematic campaign to reverse the Warren Court's egalitarian victories. Nixon appointed four justices during his six years in office, fundamentally altering the court's direction for the next half century. Cohen surveys major Supreme Court rulings since Nixon's presidency, revealing how consistently the court has favored corporate interests over individual rights. The court abandoned its earlier support for school desegregation, labor unions, voting rights, and class action lawsuits. Instead, it issued rulings that protect wealthy, white, and powerful Americans. Cohen demonstrates that today's conservative court stems directly from Nixon's strategic appointments fifty years ago, decisions that have deepened America's inequality crisis.
Genres: biography, history, political-science, politics, non-fiction, law, academic, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigative-journalism, social-commentary
Setting: America
Period: 1960s, 1968, 1970s
448 pages · Hardcover · Penguin Press