Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Totally revised and updated, this classic history of the 108 members of the U.S. Supreme addresses the vital questions of why individual justices were nominated to the highest court, how their nominations were received, whether the appointees ultimately lived up to the expectations of the American public, and what their legacy was on the development of American law and society.
Synopsis
Abraham (government and foreign affairs, emeritus, U. of Virginia) expands his 1992 volume Justices and Presidents, 3rd ed., providing an updated account of the Supreme Court up to the present. Emphasis is placed on evaluation of relations between the justices, presidents, senators, and the American public.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 383-410) and indexes.
Table of Contents
Introductory reflections. Of criteria, evaluations, and judgments -- The Nixon era. A turbulent case study -- How they get there. Appointing Supreme Court justices -- Why they get there. Qualifications and rationalizations -- The first forty years. From George Washington to John Quincy Adams, 1789-1829 -- The next forty years. From Andrew Jackson to Andrew Johnson, 1829-1869 -- The balance of the nineenth century: From Ulysses S. Grant to William McKinley, 1869-1901 -- Into the twentieth century. From Theodore Roosevelt to Herbert Hoover, 1901-1933 -- The court alters course. FDR and Truman, 1933-1953 -- The Warren Court. From Ike to LBJ, 1953-1969 -- The Burger Court. From Nixon to Reagan, 1969-1986 -- The Rehnquist Court. Reagan, Bush, and Clinton, 1986- -- Appendix A: Rating Supreme Court justices -- Appendix B: Rating presidents -- Appendix C: Statistical data on Supreme Court justices -- Bibliography. General works -- Works about or by individual justices -- Photo acknowledgments -- Index of cases -- Index of names.