I found the behind-the-scenes politicking and negotiating fascinating, but also disheartening. The author makes assumptions that the reader will know what a "cert" is, what defines a "conference" , what the role of the Law Clerk is, and how cases ultimately end up at the Court. It gives a "behind-the-scenes" account of the United States Supreme Court during Warren Burger's early years as Chief Justice of the United States. law students, lawyers, anyone who <3s the constitution. Stewart, who was one of the primary sources for the book, is portrayed in a positive light, as is William J. Brennan, the acknowledged leader of the liberal bloc of justices, both for his intelligence as well as his amiable, friendly personality. It was very disappointing for me, someone with no formal background knowledge of Law and the Constitution. The author makes assumptions that the reader will know what a "cert" is, what defines a "conference" , what the role of the Law Clerk is, and how cases ultimately end up at the Court. The Chief himself is portrayed as vain, pretentious, and ungifted, while William Brennan is shown as the somewhat cynical swing player. The book is written in the familiar style of Bob Woodward, with the off-the-record technique. The likes and dislikes of each Justice is discussed and their closeness to their clerks is revealed. The Brethren -- written by Bob Woodward and Scott Armstrong -- looks at the U.S. Supreme Court during a time where justice selection seemed to be as political as the rest of the Government. Get The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court from Amazon.com. This book was written before Ronald Reagan appointed, in 1981, the first woman to the Supreme Court, so at the time, "the brethren" was an appropriate way to refer to the justices on the Supreme Court. The book's sources are highly critical of Burger as Chief Justice, especially in comparison to his predecessor, Earl Warren. I absolutely loved this book! Robert "Bob" Upshur Woodward is an assistant managing editor of. I would have liked to learn more about Blackmun and I felt that Woodward's portrayal of him was very different than his portrayal in "Becoming Justice Blackmun." This is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the dynamics of the Burger court. The book covers the years from the 1969 term through the 1975 term. Woodward and Armstrong hit hard at the shortcomings of Burger throughout the book, especially his way of controlling the assignments of decisions by waiting to announce his vote until the end. The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court from, Order our The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court Study Guide, teaching or studying The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court. Unequal Protection: The Rise of Corporate Dominance and the Theft of Human Rights, The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court (Oct 6-Nov 6, 2019), Escape the Present with These 24 Historical Romances. I read ~10 pages a night over a few months and this was a good book for that slow pace. When this book came out, my first response was "Wow." The Justices spend a great deal of time talking with their clerks, since the clerks write most of the drafts and need to know the position of the Justice that they work for. Welcome back. I loved it, I loved every minute of it. It gives the readers a view of the Supreme Court that the reader could not normally obtain, a perspective that allows the reader to have no knowledge of law or the legal system and yet still be able to understand the book. Another feature that stands out are the machinations of vote switching, since a Justice can change his vote until the decision is handed down. I had really looked forward to this book based on the reviews it has received. I finished a book that is not about babies and their sleep habits and developmental milestones. If only we could see behind today's Supreme Court. Burger was more concerned with controlling the writing of the decisions during his tenure of the Court and would often change or remain undecided until ascertaining how the others voted. His first foray in what would turn out to be a long-term fascination with the U.S. Supreme Court, Bob Woodward along with co-author Scott Armstrong wrote the first comprehensive insider book on the US Supremes. Readers interested in U.s. history, politics, and law, Whether they realize it or not, the decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court have enormous ongoing impact on the lives and prospects of every American. That perspective is elaborated more fully in my reviews of, anyone with an opinion about today's Supreme Court; anyone interested in group dynamics. I read the book for a class, but I really got into it, without even knowing the cases that the court heard, who was on the court and the politics behind all of it. Through and through. The book does frequently lend out praise to other Justices though. Bob Woodward and Scott Armstrong have pierced its secrecy to give us an unprecedented view of the Chief and Associate Justices—maneuvering, arguing, politicking, compromising, and making decisions that affect every major area of American life. The Supreme Court is where the power is, because it doesn't matter who makes the laws, or enforces the laws; it only matters who interprets the laws. Woodward obviously relied on numerous clerks (and perhaps some justices) to get the inside scoop on the interpersonal dynamics of the nation's highest judges at a critical time in jurisprudential history. The War Within: A Secret White House History 2006–2008, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Brethren_(Woodward_and_Armstrong_book)&oldid=930831675, History of the Supreme Court of the United States, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 15 December 2019, at 06:53. This book signifies everything I hate about Bob Woodward. Woodward and Armstrong allow the reader to become acquainted with the personalities of the various Justices as well as their views and styles. The time period ranges from1969 to the historic decision of Gregg v. Georgia in 1976, part of the "July 2 cases" which reopened the states' power to impose the death penalty. The book has aged pretty well, and it still leaves readers with absolute contempt for Warren Burger. It was a great, interesting read through out the court cases and Justices through the years and terms of each one! The book covers the years from the 1969 term through the 1975 term. The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court - Prologue Summary & Analysis. It was scary learning what motivates a lot of the decision-making on the court - at the end of the day these are just nine normal people deciding such important issues that affect so many. You might like this book more if you are a liberal, because Brennan comes across as the hero, Burger the oafish villian and Rehnquist the snake (but a likeable guy nonetheless). It was scary learning what motivates a lot of the decision-making on the court - at the end of the day these are just nine normal people deciding such important issues that affect so many. It gives a "behind-the-scenes" account of the United States Supreme Court during Warren Burger 's early years as Chief Justice of the United States. Start by marking “The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court” as Want to Read: Error rating book. This makes the book interesting and easy to read, like a novel. In some ways, they also shape the opinion of the Justices. Hooray! The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court by Bob Woodward. Burger is described by other Justices as pompous, devious, and intellectually inferior. Hard to believe that it is really as depicted, with the Justice's clerks in control and Chief Justice Burger a total idiot. But that's my normal response to many of his books. The interviews given in this book were inspired by the justices' and clerks' outrage at the Chief Justice's running of the Court. everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Brethren. A classic. The Brethren provides a description of the many cases considered and the decisionmaking process in each of the terms of the Supreme Court from 1969 through 1975. The justices read briefs, made decisions, and hands off the rest of the work to their very faithful clerks. Why do people open up so much to him? The authors seemed to have an impressive amount of access. I found Woodward's prose to make this a compelling and accessible volume on the Court. Many important cases come up before the Court during this period, and many of them are discussed in the book. In what is putatively a democracy, with power given by the people, and then shared among three coequal branches of government the United States Supreme Court stands apart. Apparently the whole reason this book got written was because so many of the other justices were peeved at Burger and they had to vent in long, extended interviews. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. This book is an interesting look at the way the Supreme Court functioned a few decades ago, but perhaps the time has come for Bob Woodward to revisit this topic. The Brethren by Bob Woodward and Scott Armstrong examines the functioning of the Supreme Court during the period from 1969 to 1976. An interesting, gossipy account of the goings-on at the Supreme Court during one of the most critical phases in its history. These poor clerks would toil long hours to appease their bosses. Among the cases with substantial treatment in the book was the decision in United States v. Nixon (1974), where the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that President Richard Nixon was legally obligated to turn over the Watergate tapes. I don't remember much of it except how the clerks would write most of the legal documents for the justices. My intellectual curiousity was piqued by some of the cases discussed. This Study Guide consists of approximately 48 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Brethren. One of the most insightful books about the inner workings of The Supreme Court every done. Woodward obviously relied on numerous clerks (and perhaps some justices) to get the inside scoop on the interpersonal dynamics of the nation's highest judges at a critical time in jurisprudential history. The Chief himself is portrayed as vain, pretentious, and ungifted, while William Brennan is shown as the somewhat cynical swing player. While I was reading this book, I found myself craving something.