I found this book very intriguing. First, I learned the basic working of the court and how cases arrive, are argued, and the impact of their decisions. The more intrigeing part was about the justices themselves. How they were selected, what their beliefs were when chosen, how they changed, and how the court changed over time. The author makes some very good points. In the end he remarks that all justices chosen for the foreseeable future will all be very well qualified. It's not the qualifications of the justice that decide the case, it's the personal belief of the justice. They are just as prone to bias, personal views, morals, upbringing, life changing experience, error and correction, etc...as anyone else. Precedence is not the master, if new justices see cases a different way, they will overrule the previous supreme court decision. It has happened even when only a few members of the court have changed. A justice who was in the majority opinion ten years ago, can see the same type of case, and now be writing the minority dissent on the same topic.
Cases are decided by justices, justices are selected by presidents, and presidents are elected by us. If we want previous decisions overturned, or to ensure that others are never overturned, we need to look at our presidential candidates and evaluate their view points. Presidents choose justices who think like they do.
I have met people who said that a president doesn't really effect law because "he can only attempt to influence congress, he can't vote on legislation."
The President does much more. He/she nominates the justices that can overturn the decisions of congress.
I recommend this book to all who are interested in politics. I HIGHLY recommend it to those who couldn't care less, because this book shows how much it affects your life...whether you care or not.
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