Ocean State Libraries

As the Supreme Court continues to rule on important issues, it is essential to understand how it operates. Based on exclusive interviews with the justices themselves and other insiders, this is a timely "state of the union" about America's most elite legal institution. From Anthony Kennedy's self-importance, to Antonin Scalia's combativeness, to David Souter's eccentricity, and even Sandra Day O'Connor's fateful breach with President George W. Bush,...

"Bestselling author Ted Stewart explains how the Supreme Court and its nine appointed members now stand at a crucial point in their power to hand down momentous and far-ranging decisions. Today's Court affects every major area of American life, from health care to civil rights, from abortion to marriage. This fascinating book reveals the complex history of the Court as told through seven pivotal decisions. These cases originally seemed narrow in scope,...

"Taking us inside the secret world of the Supreme Court, [this book] is an incisive look at how the justices undermine the rule of the other branches of government--and how we've come to accept it at our peril. Never before has the Supreme Court been more central in American life. It is the nine justices who too often now decide the controversial issues of our time--from abortion and same-sex marriage to gun control, campaign finance, and voting rights....

The Enigma of Clarence Thomas is a groundbreaking revisionist take on the Supreme Court justice everyone knows about but no one knows. Most people can tell you two things about Clarence Thomas: Anita Hill accused him of sexual harassment, and he almost never speaks from the bench. Here are some things they don't know: Thomas is a black nationalist. In college he memorized the speeches of Malcolm X. He believes white people are incurably racist. In...

"Americans increasingly believe the Supreme Court is a political body in disguise. But Justice Stephen Breyer disagrees. Arguing that judges are committed to their oath to do impartial justice, Breyer aims to restore trust in the Court. In the absence of that trust, he warns, the Court will lose its authority, imperiling our constitutional system"--

Justice Breyer discusses what the Court must do going forward to maintain that public confidence and argues for interpreting the Constitution in a way that works in practice. He forcefully rejects competing approaches that look exclusively to the Constitution's text or to the eighteenth-century views of the framers. Instead, he advocates a pragmatic approach that applies unchanging constitutional values to ever-changing circumstances--an approach...

Discusses how seemingly small decisions by the Court can bring on extreme change in American law, and ultimately in American society, and emphasizes the importance of restoring the Court's bipartisanship and objectivity.