Synopses & Reviews
The first full-scale biography of the Supreme Courts most provocativeĀand influential
justice
If the U.S. Supreme Court teaches us anything, it is that almost everything is open to interpretation. Almost. But whats inarguable is that, while the Court has witnessed a succession of larger-than-life jurists in its two-hundred-year-plus history, it has never seen the likes of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.Ā Ā Ā Ā
Combative yet captivating, infuriating yet charming, the outspoken jurist remains a source of curiosity to observers across the political spectrum and on both sides of the ideological divide. And after nearly a quarter century on the bench, Scalia may be at the apex of his power. Agree with him or not, Scalia is Āthe justice who has had the most important impact over the years on how we think and talk about the law,ā as the Harvard law dean Elena Kagan, now U.S. Solicitor General, once put it.
Scalia electrifies audiences: to hear him speak is to remember him; to read his writing is to find his phrases permanently affixed in ones mind. But for all his public grandstanding, Scalia has managed to elude biographersĀuntil now. In American Original: The Life and Constitution of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, the veteran Washington journalist Joan Biskupic presents for the first time a detailed portrait of this complicated figure and provides a comprehensive narrative that will engage Scalias adherents and critics alike. Drawing on her long tenure covering the Court, and on unprecedented access to the justice, Biskupic delves into the circumstances of his rise and the formation of his rigorous approach to the bench. Beginning with the influence of Scalias childhood in a first-generation Italian American home, American Original takes us through his formative years, his role in the Nixon-Ford administrations, and his trajectory through the Reagan revolution. Biskupics careful reporting culminates with the tumult of the contemporary Supreme CourtĀwhere it was and where its going, with Scalia helping to lead the charge.
Even as Democrats control the current executive and legislative branches, the judicial branch remains rooted in conservatism. President Obama will likely appoint several new justices to the CourtĀbut it could be years before those appointees change the tenor of the law. With his keen mind, authoritarian bent, and contentious rhetorical style, Scalia is a distinct and persuasive presence, and his tenure is far from over. This new book shows us the man in power: his world, his journey, and the far-reaching consequences of the transformed legal landscape.
Review
āA must-read for anyone who wants to understand this jurist.ā —Claude R. Marx, The Boston Globe
āIn her impressively balanced and well reported book, Biskupic . . . gives Scalia his due.ā —Jeffrey Rosen, The New York Times
āThis capable, intriguing biography . . . is full of strong reporting . . . Biskupics larger accomplishment is to present the recent evolution of the Supreme Court through the prism of its most colorful member.ā —Jim Newton, Los Angeles Times Book Review
āBiskupic has written a biography filled with fire, a book almost certain to anger Scalias fans on many pages because she offers candid assessments of his flaws, as well as his strengths. Scalias detractors will find lots of material with which to demonize him even further.ā —Steve Weinberg, The Dallas Morning News
āJoan Biskupic has done it again. Having hit a home run in her fine biography of the quintessential centrist justice, Sandra Day OConnor, Biskupic has now hit it far out of the park with her elegant, insightful, and eminently readable account of the life and constitutional views of the most colorful justice on the Supreme Courts right wing. For anyone who wants to understand the most influential and interesting voice of the most powerful movement in contemporary American law, this book is a must-read.ā —Laurence H. Tribe, Carl M. Loeb University Professor, Harvard Law School
āBiskupic is an old-fashioned reporters reporter—hard-digging, tough-minded, but even-handed. She is also a thoughtful and shrewd judge of people. She has penetrated the Supreme Court and given us a fascinating portrait of the courts most colorful and human justice.ā —Evan Thomas, editor, Newsweek
āThis is the best judicial biography Ive ever read. Scalia, the lodestone of the modern Court, is complex, influential, difficult, and, above all—in these pages—alive.ā —Richard Ben Cramer, author of Joe DiMaggio: The Heros Life
Review
āJoan Biskupic has done it again. Having hit a home run in her fine biography of the quintessential centrist justice, Sandra Day OConnor, Biskupic has now hit it far out of the park with her elegant, insightful, and eminently readable account of the life and constitutional views of the most colorful justice on the Supreme Courts right wing. For anyone who wants to understand the most influential and interesting voice of the most powerful movement in contemporary American law, this book is a must-read.ā —Laurence H. Tribe, Carl M. Loeb University Professor, Harvard Law School
āBiskupic is an old-fashioned reporters reporter—hard-digging, tough-minded, but even-handed. She is also a thoughtful and shrewd judge of people. She has penetrated the Supreme Court and given us a fascinating portrait of the courts most colorful and human justice.ā —Evan Thomas, editor, Newsweek
āThis is the best judicial biography Ive ever read. Scalia, the lodestone of the modern Court, is complex, influential, difficult, and, above all—in these pages—alive.ā —Richard Ben Cramer, author of Joe DiMaggio: The Heros LifeāIts hard to write a fair-minded biography of such a polarizing figure, but thats what Joan Biskupic has done with āAmerican Original . . . impressively balanced and well reported.ā —Jeffrey Rosen, The New York Times Book Review Ā ā[American Original] will stand up over time.ā —Emily Bazelon, SlateĀ āIntellectually rigorous. . . āAmerican Original: the Life and Constitution of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand this jurist.ā —Claude R. Marx, Boston GlobeĀ āBiskupic has written a biography filled with fire, a book almost certain to anger Scalia's fans on many pages because she offers candid assessments of his flaws, as well as his strengths. Scalias detractors will find lots of material with which to demonize him even further.ā —Steve Weinberg, Dallas Morning News Ā āA gifted storyteller . . . Biskupic is tough but fair. At age 73, Scalia remains full of piss and vinegar. If you want to know where hes likely to take his colleagues and when theyll refuse to go along with him pick up āAmerican Original. Dont wait for a court order.ā —Glenn C. Altschuler, Tulsa WorldĀ āImpeccably researched.ā —Gene Warner, Buffalo NewsĀ āāAmerican Original: The Life and Constitution of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is full of strong reporting. It is scrupulously even-handed, which may irritate partisans on both sides of the Scalia divide—there are few fence-straddlers when it comes to him . . .Ā Biskupics larger accomplishment is to present the recent evolution of the Supreme Court through the prism of its most colorful member.ā—Jim Newton, Los Angeles TimesĀ āIts worth checking out Joan Biskupics new biography of Justice Antonin Scalia—American Original. . . Its the first real deep dive into his personal background (including his religion) and how it affects his decisions. Scalia is a critical figure on the Supreme Court, given its continuing shift to the right. And Biskupic does a great job in helping the reader understand where hes coming from.ā —Thomas Goldstein, Daily Beast, āSmart People RecommendāĀ āThe books real charm, however, lies in her treatment of the man. She traces the important influences on Scalia—the lessons from his immigrant parents, the centrality of his Catholic faith, the early professional experiences in the Nixon justice department—and offers a portrait of a man quite unlike any other judge. Especially against the decorous backdrop of the Supreme Court, Scalia stands out for his brashness in argument, his clever, sometimes contemptuous, prose and his willingness to express opinions in a variety of public forums. Biskupic acknowledges his intellectual brilliance but criticizes him for his tetchiness with the press, for his seeming inability to concede at least the appearance of conflicts of interest and for his willingness to depart from originalism—Bush v. Gore, anyone?—when it appears to serve his own political inclinations. Legal scholars have written more about Scalia than any other living Justice. Now, in terms of accessibility for the general reader, Biskupic gives the rest of us an inside look at what the fuss is all about . . . Every bit as provocative and entertaining as the man himself.ā —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Synopsis
The first full-scale biography of the Supreme Courts most provocativeĀand influential
justice
If the U.S. Supreme Court teaches us anything, it is that almost everything is open to interpretation. Almost. But whats inarguable is that, while the Court has witnessed a succession of larger-than-life jurists in its two-hundred-year-plus history, it has never seen the likes of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.Ā Ā Ā Ā
Combative yet captivating, infuriating yet charming, the outspoken jurist remains a source of curiosity to observers across the political spectrum and on both sides of the ideological divide. And after nearly a quarter century on the bench, Scalia may be at the apex of his power. Agree with him or not, Scalia is Āthe justice who has had the most important impact over the years on how we think and talk about the law,ā as the Harvard law dean Elena Kagan, now U.S. Solicitor General, once put it.
Scalia electrifies audiences: to hear him speak is to remember him; to read his writing is to find his phrases permanently affixed in ones mind. But for all his public grandstanding, Scalia has managed to elude biographersĀuntil now. In American Original: The Life and Constitution of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, the veteran Washington journalist Joan Biskupic presents for the first time a detailed portrait of this complicated figure and provides a comprehensive narrative that will engage Scalias adherents and critics alike. Drawing on her long tenure covering the Court, and on unprecedented access to the justice, Biskupic delves into the circumstances of his rise and the formation of his rigorous approach to the bench. Beginning with the influence of Scalias childhood in a first-generation Italian American home, American Original takes us through his formative years, his role in the Nixon-Ford administrations, and his trajectory through the Reagan revolution. Biskupics careful reporting culminates with the tumult of the contemporary Supreme CourtĀwhere it was and where its going, with Scalia helping to lead the charge.
Even as Democrats control the current executive and legislative branches, the judicial branch remains rooted in conservatism. President Obama will likely appoint several new justices to the CourtĀbut it could be years before those appointees change the tenor of the law. With his keen mind, authoritarian bent, and contentious rhetorical style, Scalia is a distinct and persuasive presence, and his tenure is far from over. This new book shows us the man in power: his world, his journey, and the far-reaching consequences of the transformed legal landscape.
Synopsis
If the U.S. Supreme Court teaches us anything, it is that almost everything is open to interpretation. Almost. But whats inarguable is that, while the Court has witnessed a succession of larger-than-life jurists in its two-hundred-plus-year history, it has never seen the likes of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
Combative yet captivating, infuriating yet charming, the outspoken jurist remains a source of curiosity to observers across the political spectrum and on both sides of the ideological divide. But for all his public grandstanding, Scalia has managed to elude biographers—until now. In American Original: The Life and Constitution of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, the veteran Washington journalist Joan Biskupic presents for the first time a detailed portrait of this complicated figure and provides a comprehensive narrative that will engage Scalias adherents and critics alike. Drawing on her long tenure covering the Court and on unprecedented access to the justice, Biskupic delves into the circumstances of his rise and the formation of his rigorous approach on the bench. This book shows us the man in power: his world, his journey, and the far-reaching consequences of a transformed legal landscape.
About the Author
Joan Biskupic has covered the Supreme Court since 1989 and currently writes for USA Today. Previously the Supreme Court reporter for The Washington Post, she is a frequent panelist on PBSs Washington Week. Biskupic holds a law degree from Georgetown University and previously authored a biography of Sandra Day OConnor.