Name: The Brethren
ISBN: 9780743274029

Bob Woodward

Scott Armstrong

The Brethren is the first detailed behind-the-scenes account of the Supreme Court in action. Bob Woodward and Scott Armstrong have pierced its secrecy to give us an unprecedented view of the Chief and Associate Justices—maneuvering, arguing, politicking, compromising, and making decisions that affect every major area of American life.

Inside the Supreme Court

The Brethren

Trevor Berrett

I have a hard time believing that Chief Justice Burger was really as intellectually challenged as he is portrayed here. I also have more respect for Thurgood Marshall than to believe that he just loafed along his days on the Court. Still, this book was a fascinating look at the Supreme Court both as a bit of history and as a good look at how the Court is still run. 
Woodward organizes this book chronologically. It basically begins when Chief Justice Burger takes over from Chief Justice Earl Warren. Then it is divided into the courts yearly sessions.
I thought Woodward did a great job evoking the personalities of the justices--though it surely has some inaccuracies due to cloudy political vision--as well as explaining some of the major issues the Court faced during Burger's early years. This is an important time in United States Constitutional Law history. Nixon resigned because the Supreme Court told him he had to produce tapes of his discussions with his cabinet even though he has immunity to some degree. Roe v. Wade was decided during this time, pushing to the outer limits the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Vietnam was out of control. First Amendment rights were being defined. And this book looks at the lives of the men (no women yet) in charge of making these decisions.
While I had read most of the cases that were discussed in this book, I think Woodward explains the underlying conflicts and politics in a way that most people could understand. His looks at the decisions, however, don't pick up on all of the nuances and subtleties, so this is not the place to go if you want a deep look at the cases. Still, I think Woodward does an excellent job at showing just how important (it's frightening, really) it is to understand the Supreme Court and its members. They hold incredible power, and their decisions affect us all.

The Brethren Inside the Supreme Court