Stanley I. Kutler – författare

This is the first truly comprehensive history of the political explosion that shook America in the 1970s, and whose aftereffects are still being felt in public life today. Drawing on contemporary documents, personal interviews, memoirs, and a vast quantity of new material, Stanley Kutler shows how President Nixon’s obstruction of justice from the White House capped a pattern of abuse that marked his entire tenure in office. He makes clear how the drama of Watergate is rooted not only in the tumultuous events and social tensions of the 1960s but also in the personality and history of Richard Nixon. Kutler examines Nixon’s confrontations with the institutions he feared and resented—the Congress, the federal agencies, the news media, the Washington establishment—and how they mobilized to topple the President. He considers the arguments of Nixon’s defenders, who insisted that Watergate was a minor affair, and the contention that the President did nothing worse than his predecessors had done. He offers compelling portraits of the President’s men—H. R. Haldeman, John Ehrlichman, John Mitchell, Charles Colson, John Dean; of his adversaries—Judge John Sirica, the U.S. Attorneys, Special Prosecutors Archibald Cox and Leon Jaworski; and of the legislators who would stand in judgment—Sam Ervin and Peter Rodino. In the course of his engrossing narrative, Stanley Kutler illuminates the constitutional crisis brought on by Watergate. He shows how Watergate diminished the moral level of American political life, and illustrates its continuing detrimental impact on the credibility, authority, and prestige of the Presidency in particular and the government in general. His book underlines for the American electorate the significance of Watergate for the future of our political ethics and the maintenance of our constitutional system, as well as for the place of Richard Nixon in American history.

"The definitive account of Watergate." -St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The new Third Edition covers cases down to the present, including important decisions on racial discrimination, privacy, the rights of women, the "new equal protection" and the welfare state, and executive power.The cases, selected for their long-standing significance for constitutional law, are arranged in chronological fashion and further subdivided into pertinent topical categories. Headnotes for each case are designed to familiarize the reader with the historical and constitutional context, the factual background, and the relationship of the case to prior and subsequent ones.While the cases are, of course, edited, generous extracts are provided so that the reader may more fully understand the legal, political, social, and economical considerations employed in a judicial decision. Where appropriate, portions of dissenting opinions are included. Emphasis is on cases which best depict the Supreme Court's role in the making of public policy, particularly those Supreme Court decisions that have served as an instrument for reform and change.

In this now-classic work in legal and constitutional theory, Stanley Kutler examines one of the Supreme Court's most celebrated decisions: the right of the state of Massachusetts to erect a free bridge over the Charles River in 1837--even though the state had previously chartered a privately owned toll bridge at the same location. (Legal Reference)

The second edition of Watergate: A Brief History with Documents presents a collection of relevant historic documents from Nixon''s acceptance speech at the 1968 Republican National Convention to his 1974 pardon.

Includes transcripts of recently-released Watergate tapes that reveal Nixon''s thoughts and reactions to events as they unfolded, and that deal with the identity of the anonymous source known as ''Deep Throat''. Uses the crisis to explain how American politics and law work and provides an indication of the way the country may handle future crises Provides brief summaries of what happened to various Watergate participants Covers the entire span of time from Nixon''s 1968 acceptance speech at the RNC until his pardon in 1974