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Read the revised questions used at the Community Discussion April 13th, moderated by Ronald Collins.
About the Book
- The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court is a thorough examination of the complicated inner workings of the U.S. Supreme Court. In The Nine Toobin reveals how the nine justices render critical decisions on issues such as abortion, civil rights, and church/state relations. Toobin uses interviews with the justices, and his keen insight into the Court’s history to create a gripping account of one of the most influential institutions in American life.
About the Author: Jeffrey Toobin
- Jeffrey Toobin, a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1993 and the senior legal analyst for CNN, is one of the most recognized and admired legal journalists in the country. His book The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court spent more than four months on the New York Times best seller list, and was named one of the ten best books of 2007 by the New York Times Book Review, Time, Newsweek, Fortune, Entertainment Weekly, and the Economist. The Nine also received the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize for non-fiction, and the Silver Gavel Award of the American Bar Association. Toobin earned his bachelor’s degree from Harvard College, and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he was also an editor of the Harvard Law Review.
Discussion Questions for The Nine
- How did Jeffrey Toobin organize The Nine?
- What did you like/dislike about how The Nine was written? How does it compare to other books that you’ve read about the Supreme Court as a whole or other Supreme Court justices?
- Jeffrey Toobin has done exhaustive research in selection of court cases. Based on his discussion, what types of cases does the Supreme Court appear to review most often?
- How effectively does the author contextualize an historical period, a life, or event? What details make or fail to make The Nine a compelling read?
- Jeffrey Toobin is a lawyer, an accomplished journalist and author. With his training andgiven his profession, is he obligated to refrain from presenting his opinion of Supreme Court rulings or the behavior of the justices? Explain whether you feel whether Toobin’s criticisms are a strength or a shortcoming of The Nine.
- Has The Nine changed your thoughts or your opinions of the Supreme Court and individual justices? In chapter 25 of The Nine, Jeffrey Toobin quoted Justice Stephen Breyer’s comment about the 2006-2007 Supreme Court term: “It is not often in law that so few have so quickly changed so much.” What is the significance of this statement especially as it relates to the legal term “stare decisis?”
- Describe the relevance of The Nine to political and social discourse in the current presidential administration.
