Storm Center: The Supreme Court in American Politics, Seventh Edition

by David M. O'Brien

Few public events reach the intensity of political interest and personal emotion of the 1992 Supreme Court case on abortion rights legislation (Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey) or the 1991 Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court. For many, what made the 1992 presidential election so critical was that the new president will likely replace a minimum of one, and possibly as many as three, Supreme Court justices in 1993 alone! Once observers of primarily the other two branches of government, the presidency and Congress, we have now become a nation of Court watchers as well. The reason is simple; the Supreme Court, the cases it decides to hear, its inner workings, and the confirmation process have become highly politicized - their impact on American society felt heavily.
In this fully updated version of his 1986 American Bar Association Silver Gavel Award-winning book, noted constitutional law scholar David M. O'Brien again brings the Supreme Court into open view. We meet the current nine justices and their sometimes eccentric predecessors. We hear the surprising backstage stories of their appointments and the presidential efforts to shape the Court. Based on thorough interviews with current and past justices, and continual and exhaustive research into the private working papers of justices as well as their presidents, the book reveals the negotiations and compromises behind the landmark and the early 1990 decisions on abortion, school desegregation, legislative apportionment, free speech, and the rights of the accused. In the midst of the ongoing debate over the Supreme Court, we see, above all, "the least dangerous branch" of government where personality, politics, law, and justice come together in a "storm center" to shape and often change drastically the society in which we live.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Law, History, Political Science

448 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1986

Reviews

[Jim Twombly]

A bit repetitive at times, but a nice treatment of the workings of the Court.

[B]

The book covers the history of the Supreme Court, how it evolved from being the “least dangerous branch” in American politics to becoming a “super legislature,” how the institution operates, what types of cases it takes on and why, and how it evaluates them.

It's also a special treat that it's the work of my GFAP 381 professor, who introduced me to American politics. It's quick read and highly recommended.

[sophie dominguez]

i wanna hoop in the highest court of the land

[Pidge]

I had to read this book for a class, but I ended up enjoying it quite a bit. It gave me a good view of how the Supreme Court works, while also being filled with entertaining anecdotes about individual justices on the Court.

[John Fitzgerald]

The was an amazingly comprehensive look at the workings of the Supreme Court that managed to be engaging and readable at the same time. I enjoyed this book quite a bit as a review of the institution.

I do kinda wish we didn't have an 18th century justice system but...

[Ali]

For School
Learning about the Supreme Court and its processes.
Law Clerks do more work than the justices themselves.
FUCK THE SCOTUS IF THEY OVERTURN CASEY

[Jamie]

PS course book. I was kind of dreading reading this book but actually it was pretty interesting. I enjoyed the discussions of the political motivations behind Supreme Court Justice appointments, as well as the discussion of the inner workings of the court (the "nine little law firms") and the surprising isolation of the Justices. The historical overview of the court was also engaging, and I enjoyed hearing about the styles of the Justices, even down to their preferred schools from which to select clerks.

On the down side, it is clear that the intended audience isn't lawyers. I understand this, but I couldn't help but find it repetitive and many of the explanations quite basic. I got a little tired of hearing about the many clerks and their roles, and the last chapter seemed to be a retread of the whole book and entirely unnecessary.

I would recommend it for non-lawyers. Those of us who have practiced law but want to know more about the inner workings of the court can just turn right to about 2-3 chapters that cover it.

[Brett]

Great book for someone like me that does not have much of a background in how the Supreme Court actually functions. O'Brien's writing is mostly engaging and he covers a lot of material, including a quick and dirty history of the court, how the Justices interact, the process for deciding which cases to consider, how deliberations happen, and how the Court's staff has come to play an ever larger role in the Court's operations.

For veteran observers of the Supreme Court, maybe much of this is common knowledge. But for me, these were issues I had not given much consideration to, and I felt I had a significantly expanded and deepened understanding of the mechanics of the Court once I had digested this information.

[Luke]

Another classic used in my poli scie courses. It's pretty slow and long but it's invaluable info about the Supreme Court, it's structure, it's inner workings and day to day tasks, as well as important history. An interesting element it covers is SC Justice behavior and their interactions with their colleagues when making a decision.

[Jwmccabe1]

This book provides an interesting overview of the internal operations of the Supreme Court and chronicles the journey of the Court from its humble beginnings to its preeminent institutional standing of today.

[Bill Sleeman]

A solid introduction to the work and the world of the Court. Well organized, easy to read. Recommend for anyone who desires a better understanding of the day to day (and the long term impact) of the Supreme Court's decision making process.

[Nick]

Excellent book on the Supreme Court and its inner workings. For anyone, poli sci student, lawyer, or none of the above, this is an excellent read for learning more about our nation's Highest Court. Highly recommended.

[Ben]

Required supplemental reading for my constitutional law class.

[J. Bly]

Freakish insight into what actually happens within the Supreme Court, and how much influence current social waves have on decisions.

[H2]

excellent for anyone who is interested in the workings of the court.

[Elizabeth]

This is the third book Ive read on the Supreme Court this year, but still an informative and engaging book if you want to know more about this institution.

[Kat]

Very insightful and in-depth look on the Supreme Court of the United States and how it functions.
Easy read.