Clarence Thomas and the Lost Constitution

By: Myron Magnet

Narrated by: John McLain

Length: 5 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

When Clarence Thomas joined the Supreme Court in 1991, he found with dismay that it was interpreting a very different Constitution from the one the framers had written - the one that had established a federal government manned by the people's own elected representatives, charged with protecting citizens' inborn rights while leaving them free to work out their individual happiness themselves, in their families, communities, and states.

Thomas, had deep misgivings about the new governmental order. He shared the framers' vision of free, self-governing citizens forging their own fate. And from his own experience growing up in segregated Savannah, flirting with and rejecting Black radicalism at college, and running an agency that supposedly advanced equality, he doubted that unelected experts and justices really did understand the moral arc of the universe better than the people themselves, or that the rules and rulings they issued made lives better rather than worse. So in the hundreds of opinions he has written in more than a quarter century on the Court, he has questioned the constitutional underpinnings of the new order and tried to restore the limited, self-governing original one, as more legitimate, more just, and more free than the one that grew up in its stead. The Court now seems set to move down the trail he blazed.

©2019 Myron Magnet (P)2019 Tantor

Justice Thomas is a great thinker and writer

It took about two chapters to get into the story of Justice Thomas but one there and his writings were illustrated the book is spellbinding

Interesting and informative

Not only does this book provide biographical and judicial opinions about Justice Thomas but it also helps with understanding how the courts helped shape our country. I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to understsnd more about the judicial branch of our government and the jurisprudence of the controversial Justice Thomas.

Great book about Justice Thomas and our country

Well-written, this 150 page book is definitely worth your time to go through. It not only showcases Justice Thomas so concisely and beautifully, it also gives a polemic discussion regarding the constitution and how we must protect the Founding Fathers’ intention of its meaning.

exceptional story very informational

well that hit home! very good read book is very informational exceptionally written check it out

Great book about a GREAT MAN!

Deep insight into Justice Thomas's mindset and way of thinking instilled by his grandfather, another great man!

Informative

This book is a brief introduction into the opinions and beliefs of Clarence Thomas about the fourth amendment and the fourteenth amendment to the Constitution. This is not a biography of Thomas.

In addition to the discussion of the two amendments, Magnet spent some time reviewing Thomas ‘opinion on McDonald v City of Chicago and what brought it about in Slaughter-House Cases and the United States v Cruikshank. This was about the 14th amendment. Magnet quotes Thomas as saying “living under Jim Crow taught me to think about the use and misuse of government powers”. Magnet points out that with the death of Justice Anton Scalia, Thomas is coming into his own with his more stringent view of originalism. Note: this is not an unbiased book. I was left with the impression that conservatives are correct and liberals cause all the problems. I do not like this when either side does it. The author should leave politics outside of an academic discussion. Overall, this was an interesting book and worth the read to understand Thomas and his far-right viewpoint on the Court.

The book is five hours and thirty-four minutes. John McLain does an excellent job narrating the book. McLain has won several Earphone Awards and was nominated in 2012 for the Audie Award.

Excellent and enlightening

I had no idea about Clarence Thomas or his writings before I listened to this book. This was very enlightening and thought provoking.

Compelling story

Pro’s: compelling story, solid references, interesting context.
Con’s: voice sounded harsh, and somewhat condescending, like you are being lectured by your parents for unruly behavior.

Facts and Opinions

Listen well and separate the facts from opinions. I have just begun my study of the character of Justice Clarence Thomas, and this is the fourth book I have used for that purpose. The man Thomas is smart and manipulative. His writings show his potential affect on our lives and the lives of our children. He’s probably not who you think he is.

America’s Founding Values

Wonderful themes from Alexis De Tocqueville observations noticed the drift in the mid eighteen hundreds from originalism to judicial activism and the ultimate end of America as founded. We the people have lost our way from rugged individualism and on the bullet train to serfdom.