Uncertain Justice: The Roberts Court and the Constitution - Hardcover

Laurence Tribe

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805099093 ISBN 13: 9780805099096

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co, 2014

Synopsis

From Citizens United to its momentous rulings regarding Obamacare and gay marriage, the Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts has profoundly affected American life. Yet the court remains a mysterious institution, and the motivations of the nine men and women who serve for life are often obscure. Now, in Uncertain Justice, Laurence Tribe and Joshua Matz show the surprising extent to which the Roberts Court is revising the meaning of our Constitution. This essential book arrives at a make-or-break moment for the nation and the court. Political gridlock, cultural change, and technological progress mean that the court's decisions on key topics-including free speech, privacy, voting rights, and presidential power - could be uniquely durable. Acutely aware of their opportunity, the justices are rewriting critical aspects of constitutional law and redrawing the ground rules of American government. Tribe - one of the country's leading constitutional lawyers - and Matz dig deeply into the court's recent rulings, stepping beyond tired debates over judicial activism to draw out hidden meanings and silent battles. The undercurrents they reveal suggest a strikingly different vision for the future of our country, one that is sure to be hotly debated.

About this title

Review:

A well-researched, unsettling investigation of recent trends in the nation's highest court... A near-forensic dissection of the court's work under Roberts ... Many of their conclusions will be eye-openers.--Kirkus Reviews[An] insightful perspective on the Supreme Court... [and a] nuanced look at how the court under Chief Justice Roberts has arrived at momentous decisions from Citizens United to support for Obamacare.--Booklist. Laurence Tribe and Joshua Matz have produced a brilliantly layered account of the Roberts Court. Filled with memorable stories and striking references to literature, baseball and popular culture, this book is a joy to read from start to finish--an irresistible narrative that will delight the general public as well as journalists and scholars.--Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of Team of Rivals and The Bully Pulpit. Laurence Tribe, the foremost constitutional scholar and advocate of his generation, and Joshua Matz have written a brilliantly insightful and engaging account of the Roberts Court. Relentlessly fair-minded in its judgments about the justices and their work, Uncertain Justice is an indispensable guide to the Court's recent history and, more importantly, to its future.--Jeffrey Toobin, author of The Nine and Senior Legal Analyst, CNN. Uncertain Justice is a fascinating, penetrating, and highly readable analysis of the Supreme Court's jurisprudence. Anyone who aspires to understand how and in what ways the Court is influencing our lives and our laws will want to read this superb and evenhanded book.--Theodore B. Olson, U.S. Solicitor General for President George W. Bush. No one knows the Supreme Court like Laurence Tribe, and no one brings its decisions to life like Tribe and Joshua Matz. Uncertain Justice is spellbinding--whether you care about gay marriage, health care, NSA surveillance, or gun control, this magnificent book will widen and deepen your understanding of our constitutional landscape. --Various

About the Author:

Laurence Tribe has taught constitutional law at Harvard for four decades and written widely about the law--including the most frequently cited treatise on the U.S. Constitution. He has argued dozens of cases at the Supreme Court, including the first argument in Bush v. Gore. Joshua Matz, a graduate of Harvard Law School and a frequent contributor to SCOTUSblog, is a clerk for a federal judge in Los Angeles. Together, Tribe and Matz taught an acclaimed course at Harvard about the Supreme Court and the Constitution. Tribe lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts; Matz lives in Los Angeles, California.

About this edition

• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0805099093
• ISBN 13: 9780805099096
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 352