Scalia was well known to be abrasive and insulting when he dissented with justices and their opinions. That's not to say they didn’t get feisty with each other. Justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg were previous colleagues on the Appeals Court who shared a love of opera and family dinners on New Year’s. Justices Stephen Breyer and Clarence Thomas have been witnessed acting playful like school children when in-session, passing teasing notes and laughing together. Bush’s recommendation of Harriet Miers.Īlthough the justices have different judicial philosophies, it is good to see they are very cordial with each other. Toobin also covers some people who were considered but didn’t make the cut for different reasons, such as Reagan’s nomination of Robert Bork, Clinton’s consideration of Mario Cuomo, and George W.

He details the biography of the justices, their character make-up, and their progression though the court system and the political world. Toobin tells the story of the Court in a non-linear fashion, jumping around in time to focus on one justice or case. Noted author and senior political analyst for CNN Jeffrey Toobin has written a fascinating book that pulls back the robes to reveal the machinations of the United States Supreme Court, mainly focusing on the years of the Rehnquist Court (which is how it was known in name only as Justice Sandra Day O’Connor proved to be more of a power broker as her swing vote decided many outcomes).

The nine inside the secret world