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Shadow of Doubt: Probing the Supreme Court
"The book covers an entirely novel and complex subject, an uncharted area no writer has ever sailed..." -Justice Angelina Sandoval-Gutirrez (Retired)
- GenresNonfictionLaw
268 pages, Paperback
First published March 8, 2010
26 people are currently reading
306 people want to read
About the author
Marites Dañguilan Vitug
12 books28 followersMarites Dañguilan Vitug is a highly respected Filipino investigative journalist, author, and the editor-at-large for the news organization Rappler. Her work focuses on Philippine justice, security, and political affairs, particularly issues involving China and the South China Sea.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 18, 2010
The (Philippine) Supreme Court is the court of the last resort. In the judicial hierarchy, no court is above it. Lawyers and litigants who wade through the messy and ofter corrupt jungle of the trial courts (and even the Court of Appeals--after all, a lot of corrupt trial court judges get promoted to the Court of Appeals) look up to the Supreme Court with hope as it is supposed to be peopled by persons of integrity, probity and competence.
Read this book and find out why outgoing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo insisted on appointing Justice Renato Corona as the next Chief Justice when she could very well have left that task to the incoming President Benigno Aquino; why Renato Corona accepted the appointment when he could easily have rejected it; and why a lot of people (including Aquino himself) see this as a devils' pact which is very difficult to accept.
Citing first-hand sources and even the Supreme Court's own decisions, this book exposes a Supreme Court which violates its own rules; which junks judicial precedence it itself had created for highly suspicious motives (and, always, in big cases involving a lot of money, or people with a lot of money); which had a hypocritical Chief Justice who says one thing ("Moral Force!") but sometimes does the exact opposite; a place, the author so mildly put, "that is tolerant of men and women who take integrity lightly."
OMG. OMG, indeed!
Read this book and find out why outgoing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo insisted on appointing Justice Renato Corona as the next Chief Justice when she could very well have left that task to the incoming President Benigno Aquino; why Renato Corona accepted the appointment when he could easily have rejected it; and why a lot of people (including Aquino himself) see this as a devils' pact which is very difficult to accept.
Citing first-hand sources and even the Supreme Court's own decisions, this book exposes a Supreme Court which violates its own rules; which junks judicial precedence it itself had created for highly suspicious motives (and, always, in big cases involving a lot of money, or people with a lot of money); which had a hypocritical Chief Justice who says one thing ("Moral Force!") but sometimes does the exact opposite; a place, the author so mildly put, "that is tolerant of men and women who take integrity lightly."
OMG. OMG, indeed!
October 10, 2023
As a law student, my only gripe with the book is the decision not to use footnotes. I would’ve loved to refer to the original materials where the quotes were lifted from!
All-in-all, I believe this is a must-read for anyone entering law school. It reveals that the court is not infallible and that it is still an institution filled with people, with their individual flaws and strengths — they’re only human. As such, it serves as an early challenge to develop values lacking in the Judiciary then, such as integrity, as early as law school.
All-in-all, I believe this is a must-read for anyone entering law school. It reveals that the court is not infallible and that it is still an institution filled with people, with their individual flaws and strengths — they’re only human. As such, it serves as an early challenge to develop values lacking in the Judiciary then, such as integrity, as early as law school.
December 10, 2018
well-sourced and well-written!
June 11, 2018
A must read to those who wish to learn the dynamics of Philippine Supreme Court. In the end, Supreme Court Justices are also human, and therefore they are not immune to the culture of corruption in the Philippines. In the words of the fictional character Patty Hewes of the American legal drama Damages - "The powerful corrupt the law when they use it as a club to bludgeon the weak."
February 8, 2012
very good background reference, esp with the current impeachment proceedings against Chief Justice Corona, but does Vitug have an axe to grind against ex-Chief Justice Puno? It almost seemed like she wants to caricature him, with semi-sneered descriptions of his justice-on-wheels program, his supposed ambitions for the presidency (which he didn't campaign for and didn't happen anyway) and overall un-supremecourt-like (at least to the author) behaviour? Then she went easy on Chief Justice Panganiban, who authored most of the neoliberal decisions of the court. Pity she wrote this before Corona. She'd have more material if she did.
worth the buy. only available at fullybooked.
worth the buy. only available at fullybooked.
January 1, 2014
A brilliant read even for a non-legal mind like mine. It's an exciting book to read merely by its verifiable facts with no obvious bias for or against anyone mentioned. I reckon this should be required reading for those studying or already in the business of law in the Philippines. Thank you Marites Danguilan-Vitug.
August 7, 2010
All true. All eventually happened.
October 4, 2012
Read this around a year ago, very interesting and revealing read...
December 15, 2015
law skewl readz
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews