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

"A major achievement, lucid and probing." (Bob Woodward)

"This is a remarkable, riveting book. So great are Toobin's narrative skills that both the justices and their inner world are brought vividly to life." (Doris Kearns Goodwin)

"Absorbing....[Toobin's] savvy account puts the supposedly cloistered Court right in the thick of American life." (Publishers Weekly)

Liberal Politics Throughout

I'm disappointed. When I want to hear biased political views I can turn on the TV News. There is good information in the book but it would be far more captivating if Tobin left his own political views and adjectives out of it.

Because he starts off so very politically biased, the listener is left to wondering how much of the information he presents is actual fact.

My objection is with the very beginning - probably about the first hour. Tobin's basic characterizations of the various judges along with the political parties is unfair and almost caused me to turn it off and rank it as total political drivel. As Tobin moves on to the more personal side of each judge, it's more difficult to sort what is just his political opinion versus accurate depictions.

Well researched and a great read

It is very scary to read how the Republican Christian Right-wing decided to conquer the Supreme Court - and succeeded. A less known - and quite dirty - part of American history is here brought to light. It is somewhat of a scary science fiction novel to read how ultra-conservative people can influence our daily life. But it is true. Apart from how that swing in majority in the Court was made possible, this is a very good analysis of the Court and how it works. Even the legal parts are well written and analyzed (says this legally trained reader.) Highly recommended!

The Nine

The authors insight into the make-up of the members of our Suprime Court is amazing. He has done his homework. Bush/Gore and Fl, just one of the interesting topics covered. If you are curious about the cout you will enjoy this read.

Fantastic Listen

I love this book. I’m not a lawyer, so my personal knowledge to the Supreme Court and Constitutional Law are limited, but I found this book to be a fantastic listen.

It gave an incredibly interesting look into the judges, and how they ruled on a myriad of different cases. He used excerpts from opinions that were concise and digestible which really helped kept the book easy to understand. It never got too riddled with complex legalese, or jargon.

Toobin doesn’t seem to hide his disdain for Scalia or Thomas, but I felt he gave a fair representation of Rehinquist, Kennedy, and Roberts.

Don Leslie gave a marvelous performance with the read. If you’re interested in the US Supreme Court, I absolutely recommend this book.

Fantastic

What did you love best about The Nine?

Jeffrey Toobin gives the reader an incredibly detailed and intimate look into the lives, transition, and evolution of the Supreme Court and its Justices. Toobin breaks down decisions and conflict to the very bone, teasing the reader with dialogue between Supreme Court Justices that happens right in their chambers. All the way up to the end, the reader is given mass amounts of information as the story of the Supreme Court, the Nine, and Justice progresses up to a close present.

Which scene was your favorite?

Toobin's description of the case Bush v. Gore, 531 U.S. 98 (2000) is incredible. Toobin shows one of the Supreme Court's greatest flaws through this case by ripping away the Justices' aura of being untouchable and shows their true human nature as they make a grave mistake by taking the case. This case has truly shaped how the Supreme Court throughout the 2000's progressed.

Any additional comments?

Don Leslie, the narrator, is a magnificent voice that brings energy to a very information heavy read.

Masterful prose, enthralling narration

Listening to, and reading, the book simultaneously, I got the most out of it. As a reader, I felt like the driver of a slightly out-of-alignment car with a barely noticeable drag to the left, which served as a constant reminder that the writer is a journalist, for New Yorker, who happened to be a Harvard Law graduate. I shall read The Nine again before listening to The Oath the third time. These are essential complements to the Justices' books, opinions, and oral arguments, a reading of which would be helpful in better understanding of the functioning of the Supreme Court.

Relevant, timely, interesting

I have followed the politics of the Supreme Court for years, and this book really fed my craving for inside info. A great listen!

Informative and biased

The book is obviously well researched and well written in an easy to follow and understand manner, but the author’s clear bias makes the book difficult to get through. Toobin is so clearly set on bashing any opinion of the conservative judges that he often writes them off as dolts. If he could have kept his opinion toned down the book would probably be much better. I recommend this book if you’re able to differentiate the author’s opinions from the facts, as they’re woven together very tightly.

Fascinating

This book is about the Supreme Court Justices - not the law. I found this to be a fascinating look into the individual nature of the justices and how their background, personalities, public and public opinion influence their decisions. The book covers many of the more well known cases regarding afirmative action, abortion, death penalty, gay rights, women's right etc. However, the focus is not on the cases but rather how the decisions were made. Insight into why the Chief Justice is so important, how 'liberals' judges like David Souter got nominated by a republican president. Why did the justices intervene in the Gore-Bush election? Which justice cried after the decision? What did the justices think of the Clarence Thomas confirmaion hearings? How did the presidents actually go about choosing a justice? How in the world did Harrier Myers get nominated? These any more topics are covered. if you have any interest in the Supreme Court, you will find this an interesting read (listent).

A good listen

Well researched and written for the non-lawyer in you, but still covers every legal point of view.

I never got bored during the listen, but must say that I did get "bogged down" a few times. Still it is well worth pushing through.