May It Please the Court

by Peter Irons (Editor), Stephanie Guitton (Editor)

This unique insider's look at the Supreme Court in session includes live recordings and transcripts of actual landmark cases, including Miranda v. Arizona (the right to remain silent), Roe v. Wade (abortion rights), Bowers v. Hardwick (gay rights), Regents v. Bakke (reverse discrimination), Loving v. Virginia (interracial marriage), United States v. Richard Nixon (Watergate), and many others. Previously only available through a visit to the National Archive in Washington, these tapes bring pivotal moments in American legal history to life.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Law

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

The author of several books on the U.S. Supreme Court and constitutional litigation, Peter H. Irons is an American political activist, civil rights attorney, legal scholar, and Emeritus Professor of Political Science at the University of California, San Diego.

Reviews

[Deborah Anderson]

History

[David Skorski · Rating 4 out of 5]

May it Please the Court is skillfully edited to provide the meat of the substantive processes that were used to reach each of the 20 or so cases decided within. Viewing the evolution of the First Amendment, the Brown v. Board of Education decision and Roe v. Wade in the flesh of the actual arguments shows that these issues could have ended quite differently based on factors completely forgotten today. For instance, the condescension shown to the (female) lawyers defending Roe's right to have an abortion by the representation from the State of Texas or the overwhelming homophobia present in the Court's defense of anti-Sodomy laws in the state of Georgia in Bowers v. Hardwick. If you ever thought the Supremes were a bunch of stiffs in robes, you should read them here in their own words and find yourself mistaken.

[Ilana Wodlinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful insight into many of the landmark cases brought before the Supreme Court. I especially liked the commentary on what the greater impact of each ruling was. Because it was written in 1993, it's obviously not fully up to date in terms of the latest cases or the current justices on the court. Nevertheless, if you're interested in law or American history this provides excellent background and a solid foundation in understanding how the Constitution has been interpreted in a variety of societal contexts.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so worth my time. Since the mid-20th century, all Supreme Court sessions have been recorded. This book consists of excerpts of recorded arguments and questioning, along with summary and commentary, on 23 of the most important cases in the last half of the 20th century. There were some famous cases (Roe v Wade; school prayer, etc.) and some I'd never heard about, on topics such as: Should Amish families be required to send their children to High School? (n0) and Should the Supreme court involve itself in State legislative districting (yes). I learned so much about how this whole process works.