Scorpions

The Battles and Triumphs of FDR's Great Supreme Court Justices

By: Noah Feldman

Narrated by: Cotter Smith

Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

A tiny, ebullient Jew who started as America's leading liberal and ended as its most famous judicial conservative. A Klansman who became an absolutist advocate of free speech and civil rights. A backcountry lawyer who started off trying cases about cows and went on to conduct the most important international trial ever. A self-invented, tall-tale Westerner who narrowly missed the presidency but expanded individual freedom beyond what anyone before had dreamed.

Four more different men could hardly be imagined. Yet they had certain things in common. Each was a self-made man who came from humble beginnings on the edge of poverty. Each had driving ambition and a will to succeed. Each was, in his own way, a genius. They began as close allies and friends of FDR, but the quest to shape a new Constitution led them to competition and sometimes outright warfare.

Scorpions tells the story of these four great justices: their relationship with Roosevelt, with each other, and with the turbulent world of the Great Depression, World War II, and the Cold War. It also serves as a history of the modern Constitution itself.

©2010 Noah Feldman (P)2010 Hachette Audio

History at It's Best

A highly enjoyable and memorable account featuring four of the greatest Supreme Court Justices in our history and some of the landmark cases in which they were called upon to decide. In his exceptionally well written and well narrated book, Noah Feldman paints amazing true to life portraits including the judicial philosophies and striking personalities of these complicated men and their very contentious relationships with each other.

Informative

Feldman provides a view into one of the most consequential eras of the Court’s and our country’s history.

Excellent history of the Roosevelt Court

This was an excellent account of the history of the Roosevelt Court appointees Black, Frankfurter, Jackson and and Douglas and how they evolved from similar “ New Deal” advocates s to rivals and even enemies. Highly recommended.

Scorpians: behind the scenes of the Supreme Court

This was a fantastic book. Not just for fans or those interested in the Supreme Court, but to anyone who is interested in the legal history of the United States and the Supreme Court. It is amazing how the Supreme Court works and makes critical decisions that effect the lives of the entire country. The Justices cooperate, bicker, side with others, side against each other, and at times it almost comes down to using their fists, but they struggle with the unknown consequences of their decision. A great book about how F.D.R. chose his picks for the court and the impacts they left.

Great Book- Well Written and Well Presented

This is a very well written and well narrated book. As has been pointed out by previous reviewers the book is narrated by Cotter Smith and not Professor Feldman. The book focuses on the lives of four of FDR's Supreme Court Justices- Jackson, Douglas, Frankfurter and Black- all of whom had a very significant impact on the history of the Supreme Court from the New Deal era to the current day. Professor Feldman does an excellent job discussing the backgrounds of the four justices and how their education, social and political experiences framed their view of jurisprudence. For readers who are very interested in the Supreme Court and how it has become so important in the modern day political era this is a great listen. I would also recommend that after listening to this volume, readers may also want to listen to Jeff Shesol's well written and narrated book "Supreme Power" which focuses on FDR's attempt to pack the Supreme Court. While the court packing scheme is discussed in Professor Feldman's book, it is justifiably given less space than in Mr. Shesol's book. I would strongly recommend both books. Great additions to the Audible Library

I will listen to Scorpions again soon,.great story

This was such an enjoyable insight into the day to day workings of some of the men who served on the Supreme Court during FDR's presidency. Great story of how decisions are reached and super narration. Both made for a really enjoyable listen.

A Fantastic and Thorough History

I recommend this book to anyone trying to grasp some of the SCOTUS’ history. Youll enjoy the book and find yourself going back to it as a resource repeatedly.

Enjoy

Narrated as admirably as it is written!

I won't attempt to review the substance of this absolutely outstanding book--for that you can find many worthy examplars at amazon.com. What I will say is that, contrary to what is stated by audible, the book is not narrated by the author (whom I have heard speak) but by someone sounding entirely different. That person, it must be said, does a fabulous job. He has a deep, authoritative, and very pleasing voice. That and the cadence and diction are just right, notwithstanding the very occasional and probably inevitable mispronounciations (as, for example, calling the Massachusetts town "STOUT-AN" and not "STOW-TON.") I simply can't recommend this audible book too highly!

The Penumbrae in Douglas's Private Life Chaos

I read history avidly, have practiced law since 1986, and at one time or another have read most of the Supreme Court cases Dr. Feldman discusses in his book. I am in the textualist/originalist camp(s) of Constitutional interpretation myself, viewing judges who "discover" things not written in the Constitution as suspect, usurping the role of Congress or the people. Dr. Feldman is of another school and I respect his opinions because they are in the open and well supported.

Dr. Feldman is a very careful and well respected scholar (google his Harvard Law School faculty bio where he teaches). He appears to believe that the proper way to interpret the Constitution is as a "living constitution." There is more nuance to his philosophy, and I may have it wrong (he is a Harvard Constitutional Law professor and I have only read this one book of his) but a "living constitution" appears to be an important part of that philosophy.

In addition, my conclusion that Dr. Feldman supports a "living constitution" is based on his seeing a great hero for new, individual Constitutional rights in William O. Douglas who pioneered the "living constitution." Which is how Douglas in Griswold v. Connecticut located privacy rights in the "penumbra" of other individual rights in the Constitution which in turn lead to and Roe v. Wade a few years later and the judicial activist approach in recent years. (Interesting discussion in the book about judicial activism circa post-Civil War which was at the other end of the pendulum.)

Chp. 33 of the book makes one wonder about the "genius" of Douglas's living constitutional views which Dr. Feldman traces to Douglas's amoral personal life. The first Justice to divorce. Serially unfaithful with many affairs. Four divorces and marrying women decades younger than himself to whom he was also unfaithful. Dr. Feldman praises Douglas's living constitution discoveries and opines that what lead Douglas there appeared to be Douglas's "breaking the bonds of his personal obligations" and the accompanying "chaos in his personal life." This is what a scholar who supports Douglas's penumbra discoveries says.

There is much much more to the book to ponder, in every chapter. The book is worth reading at least twice. Dr. Feldman makes many shrewd, thought-worthy observations about the Court in the 1930s to 1950s which lead to the Warren Court and to which the current Court is making adjustments.

Thank you Dr. Feldman for your book. Thank you for your candor in your judgments that make it easy for someone with somewhat different views to chew on, consider, reconsider, and be able to go back to and consider again. And I will, e.g. =

1) How does Brown v. Board of Education, which I support and believe is the second most important Supreme Court decision, and possibly the result of judicial activism, square with a textualist/originalist interpretation of the Constitution?
2) Is Brown in the middle of the judicial activism pendulum and therefore excused?
3) And is there a slippery slope there to avoid?

An Easy Way to Learn History

Any additional comments?

This peek into history reads like a novel and the narrator (not Noah Feldman, but Cotter Smith) does an outstanding job of drawing you into the personalities and issues of the period. While I have not quite finished this audio book, I am enjoying it immensely and congratulate Professor Feldman on his excellent work.