The Supreme Court: Landmark Decisions: 20 Cases that Changed America

by Anthony Mauro

“The Constitution promises liberty to all within its reach.”
—Obergefell v. Hodges
 
In the United States of America, the legislative branch is responsible for creating legislation, while the executive branch is responsible for signing that legislation and enforcing it. But how do senators, representatives, and presidents make sure that these laws don’t run afoul of the Constitution that guides the running of the country?
 
The nine justices of the Supreme Court of the United States serve as the final arbiters of which laws are and aren’t constitutional. Every year, thousands of contentious cases are submitted to the court for that reason; only about eighty of them are heard. Out of those cases, many are remembered only by the people directly involved. But over the years, many cases heard by the Supreme Court have gone on to affect the lives of many or even all American citizens.
 
In The Supreme Court: Landmark Decisions, veteran court reporter Tony Mauro picks out the twenty most momentous Supreme Court cases in United States history. In his reviews of Marbury v. Madison, the 1803 case that first affirmed the Supreme Court’s status as the country’s final legal arbiter, to Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 case that legalized same-sex marriage, Mauro summarizes each case and includes cogent summaries of the justices’ decisions, as well as notable dissents. 
 
With Mauro’s crisp language and sharp insights, The Supreme Court: Landmark Decisions serves as your quick, concise, and informative guide to one of the most important, and sometimes least-understood, institutions in the nation.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Law, Politics, Reference, American History, Historical

209 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Gabe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a short summary for a lay audience of important cases spanning the life of the court and country. It's a well chosen list spanning multiple decades relatively evenly, giving a good sample of the changing personality of the court and of course highlighting the most recognizable social questions before Americans over the last 200 years. It is not an in-depth exploration of any one of these twenty cases, or of the momentous questions behind each; I'd say it's more of a jumping off point for such exploration. Overall my respect for the institution of the Supreme Court grew and deepened with this book, even though my worry about the imperfections and failures of the individuals and even of the varying benches collectively was confirmed. The book helped me develop my own understanding and values around the Court, around some of the highlighted cases, and even around the underlying issues to some extent. Given its brevity, the book does a great job in all three of these aspects.

[Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think one of the best decisions I made was reading the majority of this book before starting college. It provides a fundamental understanding of extremely important cases that are VERY relevant in most social studies/liberal arts classes (esp. citizens united).

I also really appreciated the slightly simplified explanations of nuanced topics like the debate on whether ACA is considered a tax- Mauro did a great job at explaining this kind of stuff without omitting too many details. While I still think you could gain more from reading the case text then reading summaries, this book is a great source for those who don’t want to spend hours reading entire cases. Would 100% recommend

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short concise summaries for each case accompanied by quotes opinions from the judges. Really enjoyed the quoted opinions as they provided direct insight to the decisions. Sure that information could be looked up online, but it’s arranged conveniently and has context in this format. Thought the case summaries were overly simplified although there isn’t much room for detail without taking away from the “pocket guide” feel this book has.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

#8-Interesting read. 20 cases, some well known and some not, at least not to me anyway. Learned a lot and enjoyed the different opinions of the Justices.

[Emmerson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good entry level book to the most important United States Supreme Court cases. The author has chosen the twenty most important cases and summarized them in this book. I think the author missed some extremely important ones like Griswold vs. Connecticut, Lawrence vs. Texas, Brandenburg vs. Ohio, etc. But, it’s hard to narrow down only the twenty most important. Nevertheless some that are VERY impactful have been left out.

Each case is one chapter. It’s a good introduction to each case. For each case the author has their summary of the case followed by excerpts from the opinions of the justices. I wish the author did more to comment on the opinions of the justices. They are just quoted exactly from the official opinions. It can be hard to understand judicial opinions without help.

Overall it is a good introduction to get started with learning about the Supreme Court.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Supreme Court has for a while been considered the most trusted branch of US government, and in the current, shudder inducing, political situation, this is still true. I definitely enjoyed this overview of important decisions by the Court, and appreciated how well constructed the book was. It's a pretty small book and sticks to the facts and abridged versions of the justice's statements, but it whetted my appetite for more books that will go into further detail.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book delivers exactly what the book jacket promises--a summary of 20 of the most momentous cases in Supreme Court history, including “cogent summaries of the justices’ decisions, as well as notable dissents.” “With Mauro’s crisp language and sharp insights…[this book] serves as a quick, concise, and informative guide to one of the most important, and sometimes least-understood institutions in the nation.” It does indeed. If I have any quibble whatsoever with this book, it’s the fact that I’m curious about Mauro’s thought process behind the excerpts of majority opinions and, as applicable, of dissenting and concurring opinions. While it’s clear that opinions are not reproduced in their entirety and that it would be impractical to do so, this treatment still raises the question of why some Justices’ dissents and other portions of opinions are highlighted rather than others. As such, editorial decisions about what to include or exclude are offered without comment. While digging more deeply into Mauro’s decision-making process would undoubtedly expand the scope of this book beyond its stated intention, rendering it no longer a quick and concise guide, I hope the consequence of this concise treatment is that it inspires readers to dig deeper for themselves.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am no lawyer, but work in a field of religious liberty in which requires me to read decisions to understand outcomes and parameters that apply to the cases I work with. This little book is a great, easy to read, tome that explains well the issues of 20 major cases which did "change America." Along with excellent overviews of the cases, snippets of the Justices decisions are given at the end of the summary that are helpful in understanding the various legal analysis given the same set of facts by the variegated minds of each Justice. Short read. Informative. Enlightening into a little of how cases get decided and why.

[Gary Schantz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always been fascinated by the Supreme Court (America's Royalty). I enjoyed reading about the facts of the 20 cases and the eventual outcome. However, the bloviated opinions of some the judges show why certain causes took so long to be dealt with fairly...such as discrimination.

Also the book exposes why judges should have a 25 year term limit as they purposely hold on to the job so they can make their mark on history whether it's clear or not. Specifically Rehnquist's decision while he was clearly on his final legs to personally appoint George Bush president.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

A neat and engaging primer on critical cases. Mauro's desire/intention/assignment to keep it brief/ manageable/readable is understandable. But these cases are important enough, and the context equally so, that a bit more analysis from such a sharp commentator would have been helpful, even if the book would have clocked in at 250 pages instead of a tidy 209.

Even so, Mauro's thumbnail sketches and backgrounds, plus the citations from the opinions and dissents, are reliably valuable across the board.

[Hope Mueller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Important series of decisions provided. A glimpse into the power the court has shaping the trajectory of the nation. Clear demarcation between decision authors, some are specific, based in legal precedent, and others seemed to espouse opinion. In light of our current political environment and the recent additions to the court, the concern of the United States stability and citizenry is at an all time high and grows with the reading of this book.

[KingSolomon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well done. I really enjoyed. Concise and clear explorations of twenty landmark cases, along with well summarized opinions from the justices. I noticed what appear to be the author’s democratic views sneak in there a couple of times, but it made it that much more impressive that it was only twice, so that I realized how good a job he was doing at remaining unbiased the whole time. A couple of punctuation errors, but that doesn’t tell anything about the quality of the content.

4.5

[Luke Ramos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book does a great job of concisely explaining some
of the most important rulings in American jurisprudence since the Constitution was established as the law of the land. All well-informed citizens should read the cases included in this book to get a sense of the complexities of our laws that shape our national identity.

[Tayler Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m sure this is not a read that typically gets reviewed but we are on my Goodreads so it does.

Obviously not a fun read for everyone. I like that it presents the cases in an unbiased and educational manner and that in most cases makes it easily digested.

Learn your history friends.

[Holden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book focuses on a short summary of the 20 most arguably important decisions of the Supreme Court. It really shows, though not many of us realize, how important the Supreme Court is impacting history to come.

[Asa Bondeson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Real interesting book. Basically gives an overview on some important decisions over the history of the court. Also includes the court opinion, dissenting and concurring opinions, as well as the implications the decision had on the country. Very high level overview.

[Sean Coombs · Rating 5 out of 5]

One to keep handy for rereading periodically and referencing. Very accessible to all levels of legal background, including no experience.

[Robert Talada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man, this is a sad book. I hear there are more sad volumes coming.

[William Fath · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have used more analysis or historical contex when describing the cases rather than just a brief synopsis as well majority/dissenting opinion.

[Dane Arbuckle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read. Pretty short. Makes for a good late night reading.

[Dekota Lancaster · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for all who want to understand how these huge cases are still affecting America today.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great pocket-size review of major Supreme Court cases.

[Ted Francisco · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give this 6 stars I would!

This needs to be a must read for high school and college students. Provides context for decisions that have shaped America.

[Keaton Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to cut out pages 107 to 118

[Vasu Singhania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good brief on important cases.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very consumable, it's so infuriating to read (sometimes) the opinions of the Justices, but it's always good to see both sides I suppose.

[Stephen Tuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would be an ideal text for a lay reader or law student who is trying to get a feel for legal reasoning.

[Michael Spinelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read gives you a pretty good summary of the case then abridged readings of the justices opinions case selection felt really good too

[Jacob Medina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful concise summaries which I will return to for my teaching career.

[Tapasya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great selection of Supreme Court cases ranging from slavery through same-sex marriage. Book also contains actual excerpts from the decision and concurring/ dissenting opinions, which are interesting to read. Language can be a bit challenging to follow at places for non-legal folks such as myself, but that adds to the charm of this book.