The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court

The people, issues, and politics of the Supreme Court (2010-06-29) : 4/5
Toobin's The Nine presents the justices that serve on the Supreme Court and the issues that defined the court and the news over the past few years.

Toobin portrays each of the justices. Some are conservatives like Renquist, some are strict originalists like Thomas, some are swing justices like O'Connor, some are eccentric like Souter, whose gift and travel report simply stated "None" year after year.

The book is written around the issues that have defined the court over the past few years: abortion, the Terry Schiavo right-to-die case, the election of 2000 among others.

One item that might surprise some readers is that foreign legal thinking and jurisprudence has influenced decisions made on the bench. Justice Kennedy in particular paid close attention to what was happening in law outside the United States. On page 195 for example, Toobin quotes Kennedy on the meaning of the word "unusual" in the phrase "cruel and unusual punishment". "We've seen very substantial demonstration that world opinion is against [the execution of juveniles]... Does that have a bearing on whether or not it's unusual?"

An excellent overview of the court as it stood in 2007.

Vincent Poirier, Tokyo
The Nine, Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court (2010-06-17) : 3/5
One must concentrate reading this book. Not an armchair book.
Too much detail on many of the cases. Would have enjoyed reading more biographical of each judge.
As entertaining as it is thoughtful (2010-05-28) : 5/5
A biography on the members of the Supreme Court is not something I would ever think of as entertaining, but this piece of work has changed my mind.

In his book, The Nine, Toobin tells the story of the individual justices on the Supreme Court. Toobin's style is more that of storyteller than biographer, and this serves him well. Rather than a dry recitation of the various accomplishments and background of each justice, Toobin examines the circumstances unique to each justice which led to their nomination and confirmation to serve on the Court. But it is the manner in which he examines these circumstances that sets this book apart from others. In essence, Toobin tells a story, in order to tell another story; he examines the intimate details of seemingly unrelated events that transition seamlessly into an examination of the justices themselves. As people, not as judges.

For those interested in an in-depth, and exhaustive biography of the justices of the Supreme Court, look elsewhere. If, however, you are a layman or just not a scholar of legal history -a much broader demographic, I imagine- you will find an enjoyable read that will teach you a great deal about the politics surrounding the selection of the justices, as well as a collection of stories that might make you think differently about those robed figures in Washington D.C.
My favorite Supreme Court book, and I like a lot of Supreme Court books (2010-05-27) : 5/5
This book is fascinating, instructive, and entertaining. Since my first week as a Harvard Law student, I have had a deep skepticism about the Supreme Court. I have scowled with frustration while writing nasty notes in the margins of my casebooks because justices were babbling on and on about strict scrutiny and penumbra and other judicial nonsense when I had the distinct feeling that they were simply trying to justify the outcome that they believed was the most just. I am a political liberal, and I still graduated from law school respecting only the opinions of Justice Scalia, who seems to believe in the originalism he preaches, even though I do not agree that originalism is the best way to interpret the Constitution.

Toobin's book did more for my understanding of the Supreme Court than three years of law school and nearly three years as a lawyer.

Toobin does a masterful job in this work, presenting the contexts and controversies surrounding key cases, providing efficient biographical sketches of each Justice, and delving into their judicial philosophies beyond a simple designation of liberals and conservatives. I don't agree with his constant fawning over Justice O'Connor's impeccable radar for public opinion, but I am persuaded that her swing vote on key issues did translate to an enormous influence over the Court, which I didn't notice when I was focused on just knowing enough about a particular opinion not to embarrass myself when I was called on in class. Toobin really helped me understand the big picture of the last twenty years of the Court with his vivid descriptions of confirmation battles, changing trends in legal scholarship, memos between justices, and out-of-court activities by groups like Focus on the Family.

I should warn conservatives that Toobin's liberal preferences are on display in this book. He is brutal in dismissing Justice Kennedy's suggestion in Stenberg that some women may regret abortions - whether or not that is a genuine concern of Justice Kennedy, Toobin finds the very idea of remorse after an abortion appalling, and I think it makes him look bad (I have remorse about, say, choosing the wrong DVD from my Amazon wish list, and I think you can respect my right to choose a DVD without having to pretend that I don't have honest responses). Toobin also shows a clear dread for the rise of conservatism in the legal profession and on the Court. I expect that most conservatives will be offended, even though they should still be able to enjoy the strengths of the book.

Overall, I highly recommend this book, especially as a gift to future law students. I wish I had read it before starting classes.
Reads like a movie. (2010-05-18) : 5/5
The author, Jeffrey Toobin does a thorough job covering the cases, the background and significance of the rulings. One of the things I enjoyed the most is Toobin's illustration of the Justices- he does an excellent job of making them seem human, quirks and follies included.

One reviewer said that this book covers several important landmark cases (i.e. Terry Schiavo, abortion, religion, etc.). Yes, this book speaks of those types of cases, but the point of the book is not to "cover" cases- this book is not a collection of news articles. The book covers primarily the Rehnquist court and its controversial cases during that period. The cases and those rulings said much about the Justices at that time as well as the social environment. Another reviewer said that this book does not explain "how the Court works". This is true- it doesn't. But I didn't believe that was the point of the book either. The book isn't titled "The Supreme Court for Dummies." I read the book more like a biography of the Justices and the cases that came before them.

I loved this book and I have been recommending it to everyone... all my prior law school buddies and others. I love a well written and well researched book. The author is a lawyer and the book benefited from this- it's nice to read the book without a lay person's personal opinions on legal implications (Dominick Dunne does this, which is why his pieces come off more as op-ed pieces than informative work).