Justices, Presidents and Senators, Revised: A History of the U.S. Supreme Court Appointments from Washington to Clinton

Anybody interested in politics and the Supreme Court is bound to be enthralled by this book. It is I suppose mainly a reference book but I read it cover to cover in less than two days. It includes a number of ratings of Presidents, and also ratings of Supreme Court Justices. Each person nominated for the Supreme Court is described, together with a sketch of his (or her) work on the Court after confirmation. Some may disagree with some of the judgments, but in general they resonate well. This is a great book. I noted a few errors and will list them, tho they are minor. On page 189 it is stated that "the key slogan of Eisenhower's campaign in 1952" was "Had enough?" That was the Republican slogan in 1946. The slogan in 1952 was a much milder one: "I Like Ike." On page 345 footnote 14 lists the Senators who voted against Senator Hugo Black's confirmation as Justice of the Supreme Court, and names one of the six Democrats who voted against him as Burke (N.H.) This is an error; Burke was a Senator from Nebraska, not from New Hampshire. On page 364 footnoe 63 gives the citation for United States v. Eichman as 496 U.S. 310 at 4776. This is an obvious error, since no opinion goes on from page 310 to page 4776. I have not checked the page number of the language quoted, but it is not on page 4776 since no volume of the U.S. Reports has that many pages. But these minor errors do not mean the book is poorly edited. In general the editing is quite good. This is a book that any person interested in the Court should own.

Professor Henry J. Abraham has long been recognized as an expert on the Supreme Court's history and federal judicial appointments process. His book, "Justices, Presidents, and Senators," is newly revised to include information on President Clinton's nominations to the Court (Ginsburg and Breyer). Professor Abraham provides insight on some of the top contenders for the High Court, the politics and process of evaluating potential Supreme Court Justices, and enlightens the reader on the contentious battles before the Senate Judiciary Committee.Professor Abraham examines the Supreme Court appointments process and why certain individuals were selected over others. For example, Justice John Paul Stevens, who was nominated by President Ford (Republican), was chosen in part because he was "confirmable" by a heavily-Democratic Senate, especially in the Watergate aftermath. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was originally considered by President Ford for the seat currently held by Justice Stevens, but President Reagan nominated her instead several years later. Another example of political strategy and perfect timing is the elevation of Chief Justice William Rehnquist and the nomination of Justice Antonin Scalia. Both of their contributions to the decisions of the Court has impacted, to some degree, the workings of the lower courts and the federal judiciary's original understanding of the Constitution and how that should play when decisions are made. This book's latter sections are divided by the tenure of several Chief Justices, starting with Earl Warren. I find these sections thoroughly fascinating. The last fifty years for the Surpeme Court has arguably been the most interesting period of time since the founding of the Constitution. Beginning with Brown v. Board of Education, the Court has exerted more power and significantly more influence that is more widely recognized in today's society. Professor Abraham details the individual Justices and their famous (and infamous) contributions to jurisprudence and understanding of the Constitution. This book also contains some statistical information on the ratings of Supreme Court Justices and ratings of Presidents in its appendix.I highly recommend this book not only for academic reasons but for personal reasons, as well. Many Americans have misunderstood the role of the courts and their jurisdiction. I think this book is a fair attempt to dispel some of those misunderstandings. The book is not written from a perspective of a bitter partisan or a politician attempting to deceive Americans (unlike Alan Dershowitz). Overall, this book provides a fair and balanced approach to the Supreme Court, its appointments process, and significance it plays in American society. This is one of the best books on the Supreme Court I have ever read.