Collection
Description
The Brethren is the first detailed behind-the-scenes account of the Supreme Court in action. 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.
Awards
IRE Awards (Winner — Book — 1979)
User reviews
LibraryThing member mramos
Here we have an unflattering, behind-the-scenes look at the U.S. Supreme Court. Discloses the intrigues, jealousies, ill humor, and combat between justices and describes the debates and tactics that produced many of the Court's major rulings between 1969 and 1976. I found the book easy to read and
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illuminating. Just goes to remind you that no matter what position you obtain, people cannot escape their own bias. Show Less
LibraryThing member carterchristian1
A good place to start in an investigation of the US Supreme Court. Obviously needs to be brought up to date.
LibraryThing member bfgar
I picked up The Brethren because my sister-in-law went to high school with Bob Woodward and I figured the dude could use the royalties.
Seriously, however, Woodward's reputation for excellence in his work was set very early in his career when he and a man named Carl Bernstein (jointly known as
That having all been said, let's look at the Brethren.
We're brought up to believe that the greatest jurists in the country are selected to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court, But this book shows that the Court constantly fluctuates from one end of the political spectrum to the other, and that decisions that have "stood the test of time" can be toppled by a vote of 5 to 4 at any time. We have seen this happen more
often recently, and reading this book provides us with some valuable insight into why this is.
Most of the Justices discussed in this book are no longer members of the Court, and this will, of course, change the dynamics of how it operates. However, and more importantly, the ratio of conservative to middle-of-the-road to liberal has remained about the same. Therefore, the facts, foibles, and mistakes that Woodward and his team discovered during their research are still -- somewhat horrifyingly -- there.
One of the things that was ingrained in me as I was growing up was that Americans have an aegis placed on them. Because a group of men got together and pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honors to create something the world had never seen before, we must also do the same. What isn't discussed out loud, however, is that, in order to do this, we must be educated, thoughtful people who understand how our government works and why.
The Brethren is one of the steps toward that understanding.
Seriously, however, Woodward's reputation for excellence in his work was set very early in his career when he and a man named Carl Bernstein (jointly known as
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"Woodstein") investigate a strange break-in of the National Democratic Party Headquarters in June, 1972. By the time they finished their investigation, it had taken down a President and most of the White House staff. It also changed how the American people would think about their leaders for a very, very long time. I was only 21 when the Watergate scandal began. It has deeply affected me, hurt me, and thoroughly corrupted the way I have approach politics.That having all been said, let's look at the Brethren.
We're brought up to believe that the greatest jurists in the country are selected to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court, But this book shows that the Court constantly fluctuates from one end of the political spectrum to the other, and that decisions that have "stood the test of time" can be toppled by a vote of 5 to 4 at any time. We have seen this happen more
often recently, and reading this book provides us with some valuable insight into why this is.
Most of the Justices discussed in this book are no longer members of the Court, and this will, of course, change the dynamics of how it operates. However, and more importantly, the ratio of conservative to middle-of-the-road to liberal has remained about the same. Therefore, the facts, foibles, and mistakes that Woodward and his team discovered during their research are still -- somewhat horrifyingly -- there.
One of the things that was ingrained in me as I was growing up was that Americans have an aegis placed on them. Because a group of men got together and pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honors to create something the world had never seen before, we must also do the same. What isn't discussed out loud, however, is that, in order to do this, we must be educated, thoughtful people who understand how our government works and why.
The Brethren is one of the steps toward that understanding.
Show Less
LibraryThing member lucybrown
An intimate and utterly absorbing history of the Supreme Court in the groundbreaking days of the sixties and early seventies. I read this in college for a con-law class and loved it. As an English major I developed the requisite crush on Jane Austen's Darcy. As a history major, I necessarily fell
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in love with Marc Antony. As a philosophy major of Portuguese heritage a passion for Spinoza was de regueur. My concurrent crush on Potter Stewart was odder and a bit harder to explain. I wasn't even a poli-sci major. Oh my, that was so long ago, but my fondness for this book continues. Show Less
LibraryThing member lucybrown
An intimate and utterly absorbing history of the Supreme Court in the groundbreaking days of the sixties and early seventies. I read this in college for a con-law class and loved it. As an English major I developed the requisite crush on Jane Austen's Darcy. As a history major, I necessarily fell
Show More
in love with Marc Antony. As a philosophy major of Portuguese heritage a passion for Spinoza was de regueur. My concurrent crush on Potter Stewart was odder and a bit harder to explain. I wasn't even a poli-sci major. Oh my, that was so long ago, but my fondness for this book continues. Show Less
LibraryThing member lucybrown
An intimate and utterly absorbing history of the Supreme Court in the groundbreaking days of the sixties and early seventies. I read this in college for a con-law class and loved it. As an English major I developed the requisite crush on Jane Austen's Darcy. As a history major, I necessarily fell
Show More
in love with Marc Antony. As a philosophy major of Portuguese heritage a passion for Spinoza was de regueur. My concurrent crush on Potter Stewart was odder and a bit harder to explain. I wasn't even a poli-sci major. Oh my, that was so long ago, but my fondness for this book continues. Show Less
LibraryThing member EricCostello
More or less a history of the first few years of the Burger Court, from 1969 to 1975. Warren Burger tends to be looked down upon by many, but this book goes after him with a machine-gun. Perhaps surprisingly, William Rehnquist comes off fairly well. Which is unusual, as the group of justices
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altogether come across as a squabbling, self-centered, petulant batch of schoolboys that would disgrace a first-grade lunchroom. If anything would undermine the prestige of the Court, it's this exercise in watching sausages being made. From a historical perspective, the birth of Roe v. Wade (word choice deliberate) might be the most interesting. Not particularly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member Unkletom
I was told long ago that Bob Woodward's book on the Supreme Court was the most in-depth, behind-the-curtains look at the Supreme Court ever published. The first time I picked it up and considered reading it, I decided that it was 20 years out of date and that more up-to-date books had been
Now, almost fifty years after the events covered by this book, I looked at it again and found that it had suddenly become very germane to what is happening in America today. Subjects like abortion, capital punishment, civil rights, racial/gender equality, and the impact of leaked information to the press were issues that resonated through the halls of the court as much then as they do now. In addition, the tension between the liberal and conservative wings of the court was, if anything, even more prevalent that it is now.
If you are at all interested in how decisions are arrived at by the Supreme Court, I highly recommend this book.
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published so I set it back down. Now, almost fifty years after the events covered by this book, I looked at it again and found that it had suddenly become very germane to what is happening in America today. Subjects like abortion, capital punishment, civil rights, racial/gender equality, and the impact of leaked information to the press were issues that resonated through the halls of the court as much then as they do now. In addition, the tension between the liberal and conservative wings of the court was, if anything, even more prevalent that it is now.
If you are at all interested in how decisions are arrived at by the Supreme Court, I highly recommend this book.
Show Less
Subjects
Genres
Publication
Simon & Schuster (1979), 467 pages
Original publication date
1979
Pages
467
ISBN
0671241109 / 9780671241100
Similar in this library
Language
Original language
English