THE NINE Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court

Toobin's take on the nine people who sit on the nation’s highest court is intimate, personal, and vital. He focuses mostly on the personalities in the Rehnquist Court and the current Roberts Court, showing how character, background, and political philosophy influence the decisions made by the Court on the great issues like civil rights, presidential powers, church-state relations, and the defining issue of the past thirty years—abortion. Don Leslie reads Toobin's complex analyses of the justices with feeling and understanding, neither exaggerating nor minimizing the issues. He is faithful to the author's affection for certain justices—O'Connor, Souter, and Rehnquist—while being respectful of his antipathy to others. Behind-the-scenes struggles, such as Bush v. Gore, are explored in detail, because they affect the future and because, though changes in the Court's direction are snail slow, they ultimately define the United States’ role in the world. P.E.F. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/ JUL 08]