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The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court Hardcover – December 10, 1979

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 464 ratings

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Offers an unprecedented view of the chief and associate justices of the Burger Supreme Court, illuminating the maneuvering, arguing, politicking, and compromising that underlie the making of decisions that affect every major area of American life
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0671241109
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster (December 10, 1979)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 467 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780671241100
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0671241100
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 - 9
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.76 ounces
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 464 ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2024
Very readable and interesting. For anyone who wants to have an idea of how "The Supremes" work, this is the book for you!
Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2023
First of all, Bob Woodward is a tremendous writer and his style kept me engaged the whole time I was reading The Bretheren. I am not an expert on the Supreme Court but have read several books on it's history. I also find the individual justices extremely interesting. I never realized before how much "lobbying" occurs among justices trying to get other justices to see (and perhaps join) in their opinions on a particular case. It is also wonderful to see how (in particular cases) the power lies not in the extreme right or left of the court but somewhere in the middle (i.e. John Paul Stevens, Potter Stewart, Luis Powell and, at times, Byron White.) My biggest concern with Woodward is this-- was Warren Burger really that much of a fool? His ineptitude seems unbelievable and was such that even his fellow justices made fun of him and the other clerks many times seem to hold him in contempt. I think that Burger's main problem is that he forgot where the political realm stopped and the role of the judiciary began (esp. when it came to Nixon's White House.

Anyway, I found the book a wonderful eye into the hidden workings of the Supreme Court. Just one comment. One reviewer wrote that "no justice was interviewed for this book." If she (Jean) had read in very beginning, the authors state that information was based on interviews with several justices, so she is wrong. I wish that people who contributed gave correct information in their reviews- it would be more helpful for people in their choice of reading.
7 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2006
I have just re-read this book, which I first enjoyed while I was taking Con Law in law school in the late 1970s. It is a little dated, but still a fun and well-written insider's story of the workings of the U.S. Supreme Court. Woodward and Armstrong write with an "inside the beltway" politically-correct perspective which may seem a little dated today. That's one feature that stands out. When it was originally released, Jimmy Carter was just being elected President, and the Congress was 2/3 Democratic. The political battlegrounds have changed in a generation. However, judicially, not as much as you might expect. Many key issues - abortion, free expression, and the role and limits of government, e.g., - continued through Rehnquist's term as Chief and still face the Roberts court. While today's Court line-up is more conservative, the process of internal court politics is certainly similar, so this book remains useful in attempting to understand both the history of the Court when it issued so many of those decisions that still drive politicians mad today, and how the often convoluted opinions on divisive issues are formed.

It also provides a little nostalgia in remembering Justices such as Potter Stewart and Thurgood Marshall. The authors capture a famous incident involving these two. When the Court of the 1970's considered an obscenity case, the Justices would retire, often en masse, to a basement screening room to take in the offending film. This was a world without home videos. Justice Stewart was infamous for his statement in an earlier case that, while he couldn't define obscenity, "I know it when I see it." Apparently, at the crucial moment (you know the word I'm avoiding) of the film, Justice Marshall would turn to Justice Stewart and proclaim: "That's it - I know it, I see it!"

Anyone interested in Constitutional Law and the Supreme Court should read this book.
9 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2024
Well written book, maybe a lot more detail for the average reader. However if you enjoy history about the Supreme Court during a specific era, this is good.
Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2013
Fascinating, fast paced and full of insights, it's easy to see why The Brethren remains in print decades after its originally release, and why it continues to earn praise to this day. Woodward and Armstrong exemplify the highest standards and efforts of investigative journalism, conveying a vivid account of the events and personalities of America's peak, and usually secretive, legal institution, during a period of significant political and social upheaval.

Their account begins with the closing days of the Warren court, hailed as a liberal period for the court's jurisprudence. In the White House, Richard Nixon sees Chief Justice Earl Warren's retirement as an opportunity to begin hosing down what he perceives as rampant, bleeding-heart liberalism, appointing Warren Burger as Chief. Subsequent Nixon appointments would strengthen the conservative wing of the Court, but as The Brethren reveals, not all goes according to plan. The book traces then traces the first six and a half years of the Burger Court. Along the way their account is one of a Chief who more often follows than guides the court, of processes within the court that raise serious questions about the carriage of justice and of politics and personalities playing a greater a role than perhaps many realised.

Woodward and Armstrong's writing covers significant ground, the structure and pace are both excellent and the injection of humour and the personalities of the various justices along the way speaks not only to their talent in writing this book, but also to the fine detail captured in their research for it.

Accounts of the Supreme Court remain rare, and accounts of this quality rarer still. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend The Brethren
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2006
I was very much looking forward to reading this book. But I must say that from the first chapter I was disappointed with the writing. The book reads like a string of unrelated newspaper articles or diary entries. There is no underling arc that ties all of the little stories together.

However, despite this shortcoming, "The Brethen" is very interesting. Woodward and Armstrong provide a unique take on the inner-workings of the first few years of the Burger court.

I would suggest that anyone considering reading "The Brethen" instead consider "Closed Chambers: The Rise, Fall, and Future of the Modern Supreme Court" by Edward Lazarus.
8 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Michael P. Maciuk
5.0 out of 5 stars An Eye Opener
Reviewed in Canada on December 27, 2011
The Brethren covers the Supreme Court of the United States of America from 1969 to 1975. It is evident that the authors Bob Woodward and Scott Armstrong did secure their information from former unnamed clerks of the court as well as others as there is no supporting documentation contained in this publication. There is no doubt in my mind that there was a great deal of exhaustive research conducted prior to publishing this book.

The Brethren is really a historic look and examination of the inner-workings of the Supreme Court of the United States of America and covers such areas as inner conflict amongst the judiciary, inner-politics, personalities, abilities of the judiciary, competence of the judiciary, government influence, political influence on decisions of the court, conference voting, assignments of majority opinions of the court, judicial strategy, judicial idiosyncrasies, judicial behaviour and respect towards each other, judicial compromises and deals and the ideological make-up of the court not seen by the average citizen.

The book also addresses areas that are not normally made public such as the role of moderates of the court, voting compromises amongst the judiciary, the writing of court opinions, how the judiciary advance their own ideology and beliefs in their decisions, how written opinions are often amended and why, concerns of the judiciary about new appointments to the court, personal lives of the judiciary, influence of law clerks on the judiciary, the inner workings of the law clerks, the role and influence of the Chief Justice, constitutional arguments and the true workings and operations of the 14 Justices of Supreme Court of America during the late 1960's and early 1970's.

The Brethren affords the reader to view the workings of the Supreme Court of America from the inside out rather than from the outside in!
One person found this helpful
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Klytanous
5.0 out of 5 stars Bob can write.
Reviewed in Canada on June 17, 2019
Love the insight.
CDM
4.0 out of 5 stars Very Good
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 26, 2013
Fantastic read, very useful in an academic evaluation of the role of the US Supreme Court and Civil Rights. Also, a very interesting book for general knowledge.
One person found this helpful
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Eve-Marie Bouchard
5.0 out of 5 stars The Brethren
Reviewed in Canada on April 28, 2013
The book is amazing, but the copy I received was not in good shape. The cover was dirty. Very disappointing.