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 Barbed and Biased Sep 06, 2010
I purchased this book in the hope that the subject matter would be presented in purely historic manner. Had I considered the writer's resume' and credentials beforehand I could have saved myself some money. I am hard pressed to find a single page that doesn't reflect the author's opinion of how things ought to be; and how even simple artifacts in the office of a particular Justice can cause the reader to form similar opinions. The fact that the New York Times, probably the most biasd newspaper of the last fifty years, selected "The Nine" as Best Book of the Year speaks volumes. I admit that Mr. Toobin presents irrefutable facts accurately. I only wish he had stopped there, tho' such strategy would have shortened the book by about 50%. Readers who are like-minded with Mr. Toobin will no doubt rate my review as totally devoid of style and snappy prose. I admit I am no editorial writer. Mr Toobin is vastly superior in that regard.
 Fascinating Look at the Supreme Court since Roe V Wade Sep 06, 2010
I always enjoyed watching Toobin on CNN, and this book was even better. It is an engrossing narrative of the nine members of the Supreme Court and a fascinating look at the discussions and conversations that went into some of the Court's most renowned rulings. The narrative of Bush Vs Gore was wonderful and engaging, and so was the descriptions of the faith based court cases championed by Christian lawyer Jay Sekulow.
I really appreciated the glimpses Toobin gives us of the private lives of the court members. You meet the conservative Scalia, the battle scarred conservative Clarence Thomas, the brilliant and scholarly Sandra Day O'Connor, the reserved and quiet David Souter, the sturdy leader Judge Rehnquist, and the others. You learn about the Ruth Bader Ginsburg nomination process, and the challenges that the Court faced in deliberating cases related to the abortion issue.
I would recommend this book to anyone. Thumbs up.
fascinating and readable Aug 19, 2010
It is a fascinating read to learn about not only how the supreme court works but how and who nominates and elects the justices and why they vote the way they do. To read and learn all of this in a language that a lay person can understand and enjoy, is not a little task. Toobin has done a great job. I could not put the book down.
The people, issues, and politics of the Supreme Court Jun 29, 2010
Toobin's The Nine presents the justices that serve on the Supreme Court and the issues that defined the court and the news over the past few years.
Toobin portrays each of the justices. Some are conservatives like Renquist, some are strict originalists like Thomas, some are swing justices like O'Connor, some are eccentric like Souter, whose gift and travel report simply stated "None" year after year.
The book is written around the issues that have defined the court over the past few years: abortion, the Terry Schiavo right-to-die case, the election of 2000 among others.
One item that might surprise some readers is that foreign legal thinking and jurisprudence has influenced decisions made on the bench. Justice Kennedy in particular paid close attention to what was happening in law outside the United States. On page 195 for example, Toobin quotes Kennedy on the meaning of the word "unusual" in the phrase "cruel and unusual punishment". "We've seen very substantial demonstration that world opinion is against [the execution of juveniles]... Does that have a bearing on whether or not it's unusual?"
An excellent overview of the court as it stood in 2007.
Vincent Poirier, Tokyo
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 The Nine, Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court Jun 17, 2010
One must concentrate reading this book. Not an armchair book.
Too much detail on many of the cases. Would have enjoyed reading more biographical of each judge.
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