Description
Book SynopsisIn the first Supreme Court history told primarily through eyewitness accounts from Court insiders, Clare Cushman provides readers with a behind-the-scenes look at the people, practices, and traditions that have shaped an American institution for more than 200 years. Each chapter covers one general thematic topic and weaves a narrative from memoirs, letters, diaries, and newspaper accounts by the Justices, their spouses and children, court reporters, clerks, oral advocates, court staff, journalists, and other eyewitnesses. These accounts allow readers to feel as if they are squeezed into the packed courtroom in 1844 as silver-tongued orator Daniel Webster addresses the court; eavesdropping on an exasperated Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., in 1930 as he snaps at a clerk's critique of his draft opinion; or sharing a taxi with future Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., in 2005 as he rushes home from the airport in anticipation of a phone call from President Bush offering him the nomination to
Trade ReviewToo many studies of the Supreme Court are obsessed with ideas and politics with little attention to those who generate them. Clare Cushman provides a meticulously researched and thoroughly accessible antidote to the trend, and, for once the institution emerges with novelistic clarity as a collection of men, and eventually women, with vivid personalities, strong feelings, and every manifestation of the human condition. Cushman wisely relies on first-hand evidence from those on the inside to provide both authenticity and telling detail. A unique work. -- Dennis J. Hutchinson, William Rainey Harper Professor, University of Chicago, and editor of The Supreme Court Review
Opening this book is like peering into a fascinating scrapbook compiled over the centuries by Supreme Court Justices and those who knew them. It is a treat for anyone who cares about the Supreme Court and who wonders how it got to be the way it is today. I enjoyed it very much. -- Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter who covered the Supreme Court for nearly three decades for The New York Times
Opening this book is like peering into a fascinating scrapbook compiled over the centuries by Supreme Court Justices and those who knew them. It is a treat for anyone who cares about the Supreme Court and who wonders how it got to be the way it is today. I enjoyed it very much. -- Henry J. Abraham, James Hart Professor Emeritus, University of Virginia
Courtwatchers is more readable and fun than any Court history in recent memory. And its very existence stands as a symbol of how much the Court's attitude has changed toward the public's interest in the justices as real people, rather than oracles. * National Law Journal *
Table of ContentsForeword by Chief Justice John C. Roberts, Jr. Introduction Chapter 1: Sink or Swim: The First Decade Chapter 2: John Marshall Takes Charge: Establishing Power Chapter 3: Justice by Shay, Stagecoach, Steamboat, Train: Riding Circuit Chapter 4: Wives, Children...Husbands: Supporting Roles Chapter 5: Yes, Mr. President: Appointing and Confirmation Chapter 6: Learning the Ropes: A Rookie Arrives Chapter 7: Inside the Courtroom: Views of the Bench Chapter 8: Silver Tongues and Quill Pens: Oral Argument Chapter 9: Nine Justices, One Bench: Building Consensus Chapter 10: (Not So) Good Behavior: Discord and Feuds Chapter 11: A Peek Inside Chambers: Clerk Stories Chapter 12: "Welcome to the Chain Gang": Managing the Work Load Chapter 13: Timing It Right: Stepping Down Acknowledgments Justices of the Supreme Court Notes Index
