A highly respected associate justice of the United States Supreme Court since 1994, Stephen Breyer delivers a lucid and persuasive declaration that "active liberty"-the participation of American citizens in the process of government-should be a guiding principle of our nation. In this exceedingly polarized time, with the high court facing some of its most controversial issues, Active Liberty is a refreshing reminder of the purpose of government and role of the American citizenry.
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"Breyer is my favorite justice, so I'm slightly biased, but this book is really apolitical. He is only trying to explain the judicial process and the importance of interpretations of the constitution. I think a lot of people truly misunderstand the idea of 'activist judges' or the idea that judges appointed under a republican administration are going to be "conservative" or under a democratic administration are going to be "liberal". It doesn't quite work that way at all. "conservative" and "liberal" have very different meanings when we're talking about jurisprudence."
— Lezlee (4 out of 5 stars)
“Provocative and well-argued…What we need more of, Active Liberty insists, is not activist judges but activist citizens.”
— New York Times“Breyer’s prose is admirably simple and clear, and his discussion shows a keen legal intellect that espouses broad values rather than narrow theories, and a deep, humane concern with fostering democracy and the well-being of the citizenry. This will be essential reading at a possibly watershed moment for the Supreme Court.”
— Publishers Weekly“Impeccable advice for the powerful in all walks of life.”
— Boston Globe“Active Liberty will likely influence not only public debate but also how lawyers craft their cases.”
— Wall Street Journal“A brisk, lucid and energetic book, written with conviction and offering a central argument that is at once provocative and appealing...Deserves a place of honor in national debates, now and in the future, about the role of the Supreme Court in American life.”
— New Republic" I really did read this with an open mind, I swear. I wanted to see how the more liberal 'evolving Constitution' justices explained their jurisprudence. But this was a real snore. Just not well written, no colorful examples, no personality really of any kind. In person Breyer seems pretty fun, but there's no evidence of that in here. Not to mention that his jurisprudence makes no sense to me still - he's trying to encourage democracy by ruling the way he does? Really? By taking abortion and capital punishment and affirmative action and all these other hotly contested issues TOTALLY OUT OF THE DEMOCRATIC SPHERE? That's an interesting (read nonsensical) notion... "
— Bethany, 2/2/2014" Disappointing on many levels. Doesn't hold a candle to Judge Bork's many works. I'll summarize "active" liberty for you: We're the judges, we know best, we need more power, and the "negative" liberty of the Founding Fathers is holding us back. Downright scary in some parts. "
— Ronald, 1/26/2014" Kind of difficult to follow for somebody with no background in the field. "
— Matt, 1/24/2014" Describes the concepts of the personal rights of active liberty (participation in government) and passive liberty (freedom from government interference), and discusses how judicial decision making can be influenced by taking these rights into account. This book is short and repetitive, but the fundamental importance of these rights in American society outweighs those shortcomings. "
— Mark, 1/21/2014" This book is based on a series of lectures and, unfortunately, it, for the most part, reads like it. His overall thesis is interesting as are sections like the one on affirmative action. "
— Raimo, 1/3/2014" I tried, but I could not finish it. I could not follow his arguments. His writing felt muddy. I stopped at page 60 or so. "
— Amy, 11/18/2013" An excellent little book by a Justice likely to go down in history as solid, if not superlative. Certainly worth reading if an 'Originalist' found it thought-provoking (see below. "
— John, 11/7/2013" I started this after I read The Nine, but it is extremely hard to get through. I wish I could push through it and pick up some anti-Constructionist tips. "
— Mathalus, 9/25/2013" Reinforced my liberal, pro-gov't leanings with a real philosophical foundation. "
— Russ, 9/24/2013" The underlying point to this was very interesting, and a different take on the living constitution than I had read before. However, it reads like a very long speech, and is incredibly dry. "
— Josh, 8/12/2013" Justice Breyer is truly a 21st century jurist. This book showcases his brilliance and ability to consider American law from a whole new perspective. Not an easy read, and requires a careful study but well worth the time of anyone interested in American legal development. "
— Eli, 8/12/2013Stephen Breyer is a former associate justice of the United States Supreme Court who served there for twenty-two years until retiring in 2022.