Supreme Conflict: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Control of the United States Supreme Court Paperback – January 29, 2008

Yes. During his seat on the supreme court ((1902 to 1932), Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes referred to the nine justices as "Nine scorpions in a battle."Over the past twenty years, with more access to the process of decisions made by American leaders, and especially in more recent years, I can't read enough about books like this one."Supreme Conflict" is a walk through how our supreme court justices are chosen, and why. In particular, this non-fiction shows readers how the litmus test changed from selection of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor to Justice Samuel Alito.Published in 2007, this book is also a great read for those who want to know how "Roe v. Wade" could and has been overturned.And when the media reported not only that the "Roe v. Wade" opinion draft was leaked, but that Chief Justice Roberts intended upon changing his vote to a dissent, before this July 2022 overturn, I look forward to a follow up of this book that will discuss the behind-the-scenes stories.Read this book if you want to know why the conservatives are trying to overturn laws that the Warren Court put in place in the 50's and 60's.Since George W. Bush's time as president, how a justice is chosen and why has significantly changed. And if we don't heed the lessons of the past, more rights will be eroded, in a blink of an eye.

Book HighlightsThis book by Jan Crawford Greenburg is a brief overview of the Supreme court since about the 1970's. She covers the appointments made to the court by presidents Reagan, Bush I, Clinton and Bush II.The bulk of the narrative centers around the nomination process itself. Greenburg sticks pretty closely to this script. She does cover hot button social issues such as abortion and affirmative action. She also describes the political wrangling between conservative groups, liberal groups, White House Counsel, the president and the members of the Supreme Court itself.The preparation that each nominee goes through is eye-opening. The hearing itself is something of a marathon grilling that can last several days. Each nominee must be willing to endure very close scrutiny from government bureaucrats and the press. Only the thick skinned and privileged can successfully be nominated to the court.There are some interesting differences between who gets nominated today and who in years past (pre-1970s). Past nominees did not need to be experts in Constitutional law, they simply needed to be good judges with a good track record. Not so today: they must not only be competent judges, but also have experience writing opinions and have adjudicated major cases. They must also have graduated from an ivy league school in law and have clerked for the supreme court or argued cases before the court.Book EvaluationI liked this book overall: it provides clear insight into the nomination process: who gets selected and who is passed over. The political wrangling over nominees is also clearly shown. Greenburg was given unprecedented access to the justices, their friends and court records. Overall, I thought it was an enjoyable read. It was a little slow in places and somewhat repetitive. I found myself riveted at times and at other times bored as I read.While the politics of nominations was interesting and the interactions between the justices was interesting, I found myself wanting a deeper understanding of the history of the court from the beginning of the United States. It wasn't the focus here. It's possible that content like this was edited out of the book, but I think the book suffers because of it. The scope was too narrow for my taste.I thought the writing style was good. It has a journalistic feel to it. This is not surprising considering the fact that Greenburg works as a news correspondent who covers the Supreme Court. This is why she was given unprecedented access to current court members. The book could have been improved if it had a more dramatic style; not untruthful mind you, just stylized a little more. The style fell a little flat because it was written too straight-forwardly. It was more reporting without so much crafting a cohesive story.Book RecommendationIf you have never read anything on the Supreme Court, I would recommend this book to you. While it does have its flaws, the book does a good job where it excels. The strengths are the close view we get of the nomination process, the preparation required for confirmation hearings and the politics of nomination. Also a strong point was Greenburg's coverage of hot button social issues such as abortion and affirmative action. The weaknesses of the book were it's style and its lack of a strong cohesive theme. It was more reporting of the court in a chronological fashion than thematic.So overall I enjoyed this book. I learned much more about the Supreme Court and how it works. I enjoyed reading this book in spite of its weaknesses, so I would recommend it.

I've read a lot of books on the Supreme Court, and this definitely one of the best. Not since Bob Woodward's "The Brethren" has a book provided the true 'inside look' that Court watchers want. And what's great is that the majority of the book has very recently happened. Roberts' and Alito's hearings are still fresh, and here is Greenburg uncovering everything from behind the scenes.One of the true gems of the book has to be the chapter on Clarence Thomas. Greenburg has done a lot as a journalist to show that Thomas truly has been one of the great minds on the Court, and not just the meek Scalia-follower most have thought him to be.But what makes this book great is the way it's written. Greenburg makes longtime SC journalist Linda Greenhouse look like, well, not as great as the Times would care for (and if you check the footnotes on every "mistaken NY Times article," they're almost all by Greenhouse). Honestly, Greenburg writes in a way that is not only intelligible, but truly a delight to read. Unlike Greenhouse's disappointing "Becoming Justice Blackmun," Greenburg is able to discuss cases easily and interestingly. You don't have to be a regular SC fan, a lawyer, or even someone interested in law to enjoy this book. Greenburg has written it in such a way that anyone can understand everything going on, and anyone who picks it up will enjoy it.I really can't wait until Greenburg is recognized as the best SC reporter out there, this book proves that she deserves it.

The book is a really interesting and in-depth analysis of the Supreme Court nomination processes for the past years. It is generally well-written and never gets boring, but it does get repetitive at some points. I don't know whether each chapter was written as an individual essay and then collected for this book, or the author didn't pay much attention. The fact is that it could use some professional editing, not only to avoid repetitions, but also to help with (what seemed to me) the author getting distracted and switching topic abruptly from one paragraph to the next. I can recommend it without hesitation though.

Very insightful. Well worth reading.