The Nine

Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court

By: Jeffrey Toobin

Narrated by: Don Leslie

Length: 15 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

Best-selling author Jeffrey Toobin takes you into the chambers of the Supreme Court and reveals the complex dynamic among the nine people who decide the law of the land. Just in time for the 2008 presidential election - where the future of the Court will be at stake - Toobin reveals an institution at a moment of transition, when decades of conservative disgust with the Court have finally produced a conservative majority, with major changes in store on such issues as abortion, civil rights, presidential power, and church-state relations.

Based on exclusive interviews with the justices themselves, The Nine tells the story of the Court through personalities - from Anthony Kennedy’s overwhelming sense of self-importance to Clarence Thomas’s well-tended grievances against his critics to David Souter’s odd 19th century lifestyle. There is also, for the first time, the full behind-the-scenes story of Bush v. Gore - and Sandra Day O’Connor’s fateful breach with George W. Bush, the president she helped place in office.

The Nine is the book Toobin was born to write. He is a best-selling author, a CNN senior legal analyst, and New Yorker staff writer. No one is more superbly qualified to profile the nine justices.

©2007 Jeffrey Toobin (P)2007 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

Winner - J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize, 2008

“The Nine not only provides a vivid narrative history of the Court's recent history, but also gives the reader an intimate look at individual justices, showing how personality, judicial philosophy and personal alliances can inform decisions that have huge consequences for the entire country. . . . Driven by the author's assured narrative voice, The Nine is as informative as it is fascinating, as insightful as it is readable.”—Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

“Toobin’s sparkling new work is anecdotally rich and clearly written. . . . A testimony to [his] skill.” —USA Today“Intelligent and even-handed. . . . Toobin’s access to the Supremes and their secret little world is phenomenal.”—Chicago Sun-Times

“The Nine is the latest, and by far the best [book] . . . about the Supreme Court.” —Nina Totenberg, NPR

“[An] absorbing group profile. . . . [Toobin] deftly distills the issues and enlivens his narrative of the Court's internal wranglings with sharp thumbnail sketches”—Publishers Weekly

The Supreme Court described

Although a long listen, this book provides historical and personality descriptions of the 9 justices up to John Roberts. The reader has a melodious and yet engaging voice which helps to show the interplay of the justices, their clerks and the government revealing how sometimes decisions are made. Clear patterns of judgement emerge as justices' tenure on the court matures. Excellent book to listen to in my opinion.

Quite Fascinating

I found this to be a very thorough and interesting look that one often does not get at the Supreme Court. I would, and have recommended this book quite a few times.

Informative and Interesting

I bought this after a trip to DC last summer piqued my interest in the Supreme Court. This is about the men and women who serve on the court, including how they were chosen and how they performed during their tenure. It is a fascinating read, neither too bogged down in detail nor too brief. It's a long book and it kept my interest the entire time, which is rare in a nonfiction book. The performance was excellent as well.

The political court

What did you like best about this story?

Understanding the Supreme Court decisions of the last 20 years and the personalities within the court.

awesome

this book was worth every minute of the listen. it was so interesting to hear about the justices who have helped shape our lives. well thought out and well read. simply amazing.

Keep a 30 Year Calendar Handy

This was an excellent book with loads of information. The major problem I have is that it's not really organized very well. I was happy to see that the politics were kept largely to the side...though it's clear the writer doesn't like the Right.
The book slightly touches on Alito and Robert's appointments, but spends more time on the previous nine. This book is full of Supreme Court history and lore, but the author struggled with perspectives. The perspective of precedents in the court's history or the perspective of the judges and their appointments.
I would get this book again if I had too...even if it were a few hours longer, I enjoyed it that much. I would recommend it as reading before next year's primaries.

Excellent and engaging

I'd heard good things about this book, but it's even better than I thought it would be. The author closely examines the history of the contemporary Court, and provides a lot of insight into the personalities and motivations of the justices, as well as those of the presidents who appointed them. His style is that of an animated storyteller, and he's certainly done his homework. Listening to this book is almost as good as sitting next to a guest at a dinner party who has the most marvelous stories and insights. Not for a minute was I bored.

The narrator is excellent.

Very liberal book

This was a good book. It was very informative.
It has a very liberal bias though.

Must Listen

A book like this is precious. It comes at a very important time in our history. The Author's insight is especially rewarding Our country is headed in one direction & our courts should be mindful of the changes.

Great subject matter and scope, decent book

First off, the narration was excellent.

The scholarship seems on point. There may be a slight liberal bias, but nothing that would be off putting to a moderate. The book is not hard to follow, but sometimes story seems disorganized and scattered.

All in all though, a fascinating book and a great introduction to the personalities on the court up until the end of the bush administration.