Clare Cushman - Böcker

Supreme Court justices have long relied on law clerks to help process the work of the Court. Yet few outside the Court are privy to the behind-the-scenes bonds that form between justices and their clerks. In Of Courtiers and Kings, Todd C. Peppers and Clare Cushman offer an intimate new look at the personal and professional relationships of law clerks with their justices. Going beyond the book's widely acclaimed predecessor, In Chambers, the vignettes collected here range from reflections on how serving as clerks at the Supreme Court impacted the careers of such justices as Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan, William Rehnquist, John G. Roberts Jr., and John Paul Stevens to personal recollections written by parents and children who have both served as Supreme Court clerks. While individual essays often focus on a single justice and his or her corps of clerks—including how that justice selected and utilized the clerks—taken as a whole the volume provides a macro-level view of the evolution of the role of the Supreme Court law clerk. Drawing on a rich repository of such anecdotes, insights, and experience, the volume relates in a clear and accessible style how the clerking function has changed over time and what it is like for law clerks to be witnesses to history. Offering a rare glimpse into a normally unseen world, Of Courtiers and Kings reveals the Court's increasing reliance on law clerks and raises important questions about the selection, utilization, and influence of law clerks.Praise for In Chambers:"An excellent book.... It's interesting for many different reasons, not the least of which as a reminder of how much of a bastion of elitism the Court has always been."—Atlantic Monthly"The best parts of the book are the behind-the-scenes descriptions of life at the court.... [A]n impressive and comprehensive book."—Associated Press

In the first Supreme Court history told primarily through eyewitness accounts from Court insiders, Clare Cushman provides readers with a behind-the-scenes look at the people, practices, and traditions that have shaped an American institution for more than 200 years. Each chapter covers one general thematic topic and weaves a narrative from memoirs, letters, diaries, and newspaper accounts by the Justices, their spouses and children, court reporters, clerks, oral advocates, court staff, journalists, and other eyewitnesses. These accounts allow readers to feel as if they are squeezed into the packed courtroom in 1844 as silver-tongued orator Daniel Webster addresses the court; eavesdropping on an exasperated Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., in 1930 as he snaps at a clerk’s critique of his draft opinion; or sharing a taxi with future Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., in 2005 as he rushes home from the airport in anticipation of a phone call from President Bush offering him the nomination to the Supreme Court. This entertaining and enlightening tour of the Supreme Court’s colorful personalities and inner workings will be of interest to all readers of American political and legal history.

A Publication of the Supreme Court Historical Society Preface by Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist

Few decisions in constitutional law have had as dramatic an impact on American life as Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954). This collection of essays published by the Supreme Court Historical Society and CQ Press to commemorate Brown's 50th anniversary, captures the complex history and legacy of the decision that changed public education and race relations in America.

Leading constitutional scholars chronicle the path of the law from Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) legitimating "separate but equal" in all realms of public life to Brown holding segregated schools to be "inherently unequal" in 1954.

The essays in Black, White and Brown examine:

How civil rights litigators chipped away at the logic underpinning the separate-but-equal doctrine, focusing their greatest efforts on exposing the injustice of segregation in education. These essays bring that struggle into clearer focus. The challenges in enforcing Brown and its impact on African-American rights and race relations in America. How public and scholarly opinion about the case has changed over the last five decades and what lessons can be learned from Brown. The role that the lawsuit played in the lives of some of the litigants, the justices, the law clerks, and the attorneys who argued the case.

High school students and educators will find a lively, easy-to-read collection that makes the complex constitutional and social issues comprehensible. For educators, the volume includes an essay that traces the best methods and resources for teaching the case in the classroom. Also included are a bibliographic essay, index to aid further research, and nine pages of illustrations.

The Supreme Court Justices: Illustrated Biographies, 1789–2012, Third Edition, provides a single-volume reference profiling every Supreme Court justice from John Jay through Elena Kagan. An original essay on each justice paints a vivid picture of his or her individuality as shaped by family, education, pre-Court career, and the times in which he or she lived. Each biographical essay also presents an overview of the justice’s jurisprudence, the major cases during his or her tenure, and the justice’s relationships with the other members of the Court. Essays are arranged in the order of the justices’ appointments. Lively anecdotes along with portraits, photographs, and political cartoons enrich the text and deepen readers’ understanding of the justices and the Court. The volume includes an extensive bibliography and is indexed for easy research access.       New to this edition Foreword by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. Updated essays on sitting or recently retired members of the court New biographies for Chief Justice John G. Roberts and Associate Justices Samuel A. Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan A revised listing of members of the Supreme Court with appointment and confirmation dates —as new documents have come to light, the editor has reassessed the dates of service of several of the justices An updated bibliography with key sources on the Supreme Court and the justices All-new images replace nearly one fourth of the illustrations in this edition There is no better reference than this updated new volume for insightful background and dynamic commentary on the individuals who have served on the Supreme Court of the United States. This is a vital reference work for researchers, students, and others interested in the Supreme Court’s past, present, and future.  Editor Clare Cushman is director of publications for the Supreme Court Historical Society, a private nonprofit organization dedicated to the collection and preservation of the history of the Supreme Court of the United States. The society accomplishes its mission by conducting educational programs of interest to legal practitioners, scholars, and the general public by supporting historical research, publishing books, journals, and electronic materials and by collecting antiques and artifacts related to the Court’s history.