First published 2007
Jeffrey Rosen examines the Supreme Court through four pivotal rivalries that shaped American law. He begins with Chief Justice John Marshall and President Thomas Jefferson, Virginia cousins whose competing visions of America influenced the Court's first century. The narrative moves to post-Civil War justices John Marshall Harlan and Oliver Wendell Holmes, who battled over majority rule. Rosen then analyzes the Warren Court through liberal justices Hugo Black and William O. Douglas, whose personalities mattered more than their shared ideology. He concludes with contemporary conservatives William H. Rehnquist and Antonin Scalia, contrasting their different approaches to building judicial coalitions. Through these personal and philosophical conflicts, Rosen reveals the ongoing tension between ideologically driven justices and those who adapt to changing circumstances. The book demonstrates how judicial temperament determines success or failure on the nation's highest court.
Genres: biography, history, political-science, non-fiction, law, academic, american-history
Vibes: thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-drama
Period: 19th-Century, 20th-Century, 21st-Century
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