368. Justice on Trial: the Kavanaugh confirmation and the future of the Supreme Court
Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Recommended by:
Author: Mollie Hemingway and Carrie Severino
Genre: Non Fiction, Politics, History, Law
375 pages, published July 9, 2019
Reading Format: Book
Summary
Justice on Trial is an account of the bitter and circus like confirmation battle for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh who replaced Anthony Kennedy on the court in 2018. With lots of history of the Supreme Court and biographical background on Justice Kavanaugh thrown in, Justice on Trial primarily focuses on the hearings which came down to a he said/she said between Kavanaugh and accuser Christine Blasey Ford.
Quotes
“There had been only three confirmations in the final year of a presidency when the opposing party controlled the Senate, most recently in 1888, when Grover Cleveland nominated Melville W. Fuller to be chief justice.”
“The principle that there is a presumption of innocence in favor of the accused is the undoubted law, axiomatic and elementary,” wrote Justice Edward White in Coffin v United States, tracing it from Deuteronomy through Roman Law, Canon Law, and the Common Law and illustrating it with an anecdote about a fourth-century provincial governor on trial before the Roman Emperor.”
“Justice Brennan described the power of these unelected justices with chilling clarity when he told his incoming clerks that the most important rule in the law was the “Rule of Five.”
“Voters responded so well to Trump’s reference to Sykes and Pryor in debates and speeches that he decided to make a longer list of judges who met with conservative approval.”
“The Democratic strategy had been obstruction at all costs, so Klobuchar was annoyed at repeatedly being singled out for being cooperative and reasonable.”
My Take
Like millions of Americans, I was riveted by the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Justice on Trial takes you behind the scenes and tells the whole story, giving the reader a much fuller account of what happened and why there was such a media frenzy. It also makes the case about the importance of due process, a foundational element of our Constitution and American life. This book is a page turner and I highly recommend it, especially to readers interested in the judicial system.
