A People's History of the Supreme Court: The Men and Women Whose Cases and Decisions Have Shaped Our Constitution: Revised Edition
Jul 2006 · Sold by Penguin
4.9star
10 reviews
Ebook
576
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
About this ebook
A comprehensive history of the people and cases that have changed history, this is the definitive account of the nation's highest court featuring a forward by Howard Zinn
Recent changes in the Supreme Court have placed the venerable institution at the forefront of current affairs, making this comprehensive and engaging work as timely as ever. In the tradition of Howard Zinn's classic A People's History of the United States, Peter Irons chronicles the decisions that have influenced virtually every aspect of our society, from the debates over judicial power to controversial rulings in the past regarding slavery, racial segregation, and abortion, as well as more current cases about school prayer, the Bush/Gore election results, and "enemy combatants." To understand key issues facing the supreme court and the current battle for the court's ideological makeup, there is no better guide than Peter Irons. This revised and updated edition includes a foreword by Howard Zinn.
"A sophisticated narrative history of the Supreme Court . . . [Irons] breathes abundant life into old documents and reminds readers that today's fiercest arguments about rights are the continuation of the endless American conversation." -Publisher's Weekly (starred review)
Recent changes in the Supreme Court have placed the venerable institution at the forefront of current affairs, making this comprehensive and engaging work as timely as ever. In the tradition of Howard Zinn's classic A People's History of the United States, Peter Irons chronicles the decisions that have influenced virtually every aspect of our society, from the debates over judicial power to controversial rulings in the past regarding slavery, racial segregation, and abortion, as well as more current cases about school prayer, the Bush/Gore election results, and "enemy combatants." To understand key issues facing the supreme court and the current battle for the court's ideological makeup, there is no better guide than Peter Irons. This revised and updated edition includes a foreword by Howard Zinn.
"A sophisticated narrative history of the Supreme Court . . . [Irons] breathes abundant life into old documents and reminds readers that today's fiercest arguments about rights are the continuation of the endless American conversation." -Publisher's Weekly (starred review)
Ratings and reviews
4.9
10 reviews
A Google user
- Flag inappropriate
September 20, 2011
I'm on chapter 26 and am thoroughly enjoying every page. I'll probably read it several times bc it's very good! Peter boils down very complicated judicial decisions so anyone can understand them. He explains the basic issues/arguments on each side of a case (e.g., states police powers, substantive due process, liberty of contract) so we understand them and can apply our knowledge to other cases. He also helps us to understand the broad timeline of history by focusing on a few decades at a time. For example, he characterizes the earliest days of the constitution as being dominated by John Marshall and federalists vs. anti-federalists. He then moves thru the early/mid 1800s and we learn about the biggest issues during those times: slavery, states' rights, etc. So, in the end, he paints in the timeline with well explained descriptions of social/political issues, court cases, judges, and litigants. Finally, he brings a very enlightened perspective to the subject matter, with a good dose of humor.
Laughing Man Revolution
- Flag inappropriate
March 30, 2020
A very good overview of the History of the Supreme Court of the United States
4 people found this review helpful
Anil Das
- Flag inappropriate
April 26, 2022
AAA BOSS NETWORK
About the author
Peter Irons is professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego. He is the author of five previous award-winning books. The most recent, A People's History of the Supreme Court, was awarded the Silver Gavel Certificate of Merit by the American Bar Association.
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
