The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court Audiobook

" hmph. sober up, learn you're ABC's. "

" "The Nine" is the last of three books I've read recently about the Supreme Court ("The Brethren" and "A Court Divided" were the others). It was a tough slog sometimes, but it provided a fairly comprehensive understanding of the works of our highest court over the past forty years, effectively my entire adult life. Or, measured from the end of the Warren Court to the ascendancy of the Roberts Court, moving inexorablely rightward all the while until finally flopping entirely over the line into rank partisanship. Clearly, Gore v Bush was a landmark between the court's reputation for (mostly) principled interpretation of the constitution to one of party line hackery. Remember the film "Judgement at Nuremberg"? It might pay to be reminded that it was the judges who were being tried for war crimes in that movie, for abetting the Third Reich by rubber stamping its 'laws'. When faith in the justice system is totally gone, so is the last remnant of anything that even resembles 'democracy'. And I'm not sure that wasn't the goal of the so-called 'Federalists' all along. "

" Excellent book about the nine Supreme Court justices who served together for the longest time in the Court's history (Rehnquist, Stevens, Scalia, Thomas, Kennedy, Ginsburg, Breyer, Souter, O'Connor). This book almost reads like a novel. It has a really wonderful amount of detail about the justices themselves. Toobin also discusses the major cases from the recent history of the Court, including Roe, Casey, Bush v. Gore. A fascinating read. "

" Guy sure repeats himself a lot. Like, several identical two or three sentence chunks show up in different parts of the book. A real page turner, but the The Brethren was way better. That may just be because Burger was so much more of a screw-up, though. "

" Toobin is a great storyteller. I now have a clearer picture of the personalities and proclivities of the justices and the huge role that politics has always played in the decisions they've handed down. "

" I'm about 20 pages from the end of this book, but probably won't finish it although I really enjoyed it. What an eye-opener. I realized how ignorant I was about law, precedent, the justices themselves and all the politics that goes on. I think I had put the court up on a pedestal, but this book made me see them as real people who made mistakes, had biases, but tried to do their best. There were times I was cheering for them and their wisdom and other times cringing at the choices they made. A great book if you're interested in fairly recent politics. "

" The amount of detailed information in this book is very impressive, not only the justices various opinions and writings, but accounts of their personal lives, social events, sometimes down to their facial reactions to statements in Court. It's also well written from a reasonably moderate viewpoint. "

" Wonderful inside scoop about the most elusive branch of the federal government. As a law geek, I loved every bit! And Jeffrey Toobin's writing is a joy to read--his descriptions of complex legal concepts are lucid and completely accessible. "

" Great, great book. Very interesting. "

" A fascinating story of the personalities and beliefs of the most recent Supreme Court Justices. Thank goodness Obama was elected! "

" Really enjoyable to read though I rarely read non-fiction because I can't remember what I've read and I feel as though I should be memorizing for the test. Still can't keep Earl Warren and Warren Burger straight or the good guys from the bad guys. "

" Fascinating profile of the Court, at perhaps the most pivotal point in its history. "

" A must-read for any SCOTUS fanatic. Just the right amount of SCOTUS gossip/anecdotes with important cases and the dynamics on the Court. Loved this book. "

" Insightful, entertaining, and well written. I read this book when it first came out and have revisited it during the hearings for the new members who are now part of "The Nine." "

" A must read for anyone interested in the Supreme Court, the political process, politics, or government. A fantastic take on the Supreme Court and its relationship to the public, the President, Congress, and law school ideology. Comprehensive, analytical, interesting, and illuminating. "

" Wow way more interesting and compelling than it seems. "

" A very educational look at how the appointments to the judicial bench influence the laws of the country and how the judges make their decisions. Disturbing in how removed from reality some are. A fascinating look at their culture. I enjoyed this book. "

" the drama. the intrigue. the supremes. interesting behind the scenes of where each justice came from "

" This is one of the best books I've read recently- very insightful and entertaining discussion of the court. "

" very interesting. You get a real feel for the personalities of the different justices. "

" I'm taking a class about the supreme court and this book was excellent in terms of very recent history. "

" I was surprised to find myself riveted by a book about the Supreme Court. It is a wonderful read. "

" Thoroughly engaging easy to read. Well-researched book on the recent decisions of the court (pre-2009) and its members. Loved this book, and will read more by Toobin. "

" I found this book to be a terrific read. I learned so much about the workings of the Supreme Court and the judges that have served the court. I found that the book read like a novel , not a text book. "

" This was an excellent book. I would encourage anyone interested in American politics, law, and society to read it, because Jeffrey Toobin shows how everything comes together in the Supreme Court. "

" Remarkably accessible read of the Justices of the Rehnquist court. While there are personal tidbits about all the justices, there are a few that I gleaned a greater respect for (i.e., Sandra Day O'Connor). "

" My first foray inside the beltway. Pretty entertaining and made me think about the substantive issues underlying the political gossip. Toobin doesn't hide his sensibilities. "

" Fascinating look at the Supreme Court, personalities, politics and all. Really enjoyed it. "

" Very interesting and informative. Yes, there is a clear liberal bent. I enjoyed it. It doesn't demonize or degrade the conservative judges but speaks from a liberal perspective. I have a better understanding and interest in the court and its decisions both big and small. "

" Fascinating profile of the Court, at perhaps the most pivotal point in its history. "

" It's more delicately written than "The Brethren" by Bob Woodward and Scott Armstrong, and just as historically important. "

" It took a while to get into, especially because I didn't know most of the names. By the end I didn't want it to end. Several important cases are discussed, as are the personalities of the justices, and the political process by which they became justices. Fascinating and well written. "

" Fascinating! I listened to it on a long drive in the car-made it a quick and interesting read. "

" Fascinating look at the back story of recent Surpreme Court Justices and critical cases of the Court. "