Closed Chambers: The Rise, Fall, and Future of the Modern Supreme Court
by Edward Lazarus
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Book Summary Information
Author: Edward LazarusEdition: Paperback
Published: 2005-05-03
ISBN: 0143035274
Number of pages: 608
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Book Reviews of Closed Chambers: The Rise, Fall, and Future of the Modern Supreme Court
Book Review: Excellent but challenging
Summary: 4 Stars
Closed Chambers is highly entertaining and gracefully written, but it is not for the average reader. Lazarus discusses so many cases and jurists that it's hard to keep track of everything. This is especially true about the death penalty section of the book, which is by far the most tedious. This is why I gave it 4 stars and not 5.
Let me dispell some things that have been said in other Amazon reviews of this book. There are no totally unbiased historians, and if there were, they would be too boring to read. Lazarus makes his moderate-to-liberal judicial leanings clear, but without question, he offers sharp criticism of both sides of the Supreme Court aisle, as it were. Although he is undoubtedly critical of Rehnquist (who he considers exceptionally dishonest), Kennedy (who he sees as unprincipled and inconsistent), and Thomas (who he derides for his lack of qualification as well as his disrespect for court institutions), he is also quite critical of Brennan (who he characterizes as pathetically grasping at the straws of a bygone era), Marshall (who he thinks was extremely feebleminded at the end of his life), and the modern-day "liberal" judicial establishment in general (which he characterizes as hypocritical for many many reasons). Lazarus has a lot of respect for certain non-liberals, such as Scalia, who he sees as the sharpest thinker on the bench, as well as Stewart (who isn't a main character, but still). In general, he personally identifies less with the Warren court and more with a Harlan-esque judicial strategy, shying away from big sweeping rulings and instead favoring cautiously incremental changes. As for his favorite justices, he obviously holds Harlan in high regard, as he does Souter.
More than anything, Lazarus advocates a Supreme Court where reasoning plays a larger role than results, a Court that stands above the frey of politics. He calls out both liberals and conservatives as hypocrites in this vein. Although the conservatives bear more of his rage, this is because 1) most justices over the period he details have been conservatives and 2) he clerked for Blackmun, for whom he obviously has a lot of respect and empathy and personal friendship.
Many of the reviewers on this site appear to have not read Closed Chambers either attentively or at all. To call this book a leftist diatribe is to totally miss the point. Lazarus is certainly opinionated, but his opinions are only mildly political. Great book.
Summary of Closed Chambers: The Rise, Fall, and Future of the Modern Supreme Court
Edward Lazarus, a former Supreme Court clerk to Justice Harry Blackmun, spills the beans on an institution that values silence. Nobody is supposed to understand what happens behind the scenes of the high court--that's why the justices rarely speak to the media--but Lazarus tells all he knows from his time as a top aide to Blackmun in the Supreme Court's 1988 term. There's a lot of legal theory and history, but it's well presented and usually focuses on touchstone issues in U.S. politics; cases involving abortion, the death penalty, and racial preferences receive sustained treatment in these pages. There are gossipy bits, too, revealing unflattering details about several current justices. Sure to be one of the more controversial books of the year. --John J. MillerWhen Closed Chambers was first published, it was met with a firestorm of controversy?as well as a shower of praise?for being the first book to break the code of silence about the inner workings of this country?s most powerful court. In this eloquent, trailblazing account, with a new chapter covering Bush v. Gore, Guantanamo, and other recent controversial court decisions, Edward Lazarus, who served as a clerk to Justice Harry Blackmun, presents a searing indictment of a court at war with itself and often in neglect of its constitutional duties. Combining memoir, history, and legal analysis, Lazarus reveals in astonishing detail the realities of what takes place behind the closed doors of the U.S. Supreme Court?an institution that through its rulings holds the power to affect the life of every American.
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