Supreme Conflict

from the mom

M and I recently read Supreme Conflict by Jan Crawford Greenburg. Incredibly well-written, this book talks about the battle for the modern Supreme Court and gives an inside look at the individual justices that preside there. Thanks in part to the recently released notes of Justice Harry Blackmun and interviews with nine Supreme Court justices, this book is really an insider view. Greenburg manages to make it spell-binding and bring clarity to questions like "Why on earth did Bush attempt to put Harriet Miers on the Supreme Court?" and give the basis for why conservative presidents like Reagan and GHW Bush failed in their missions with appointments like Anthony Kennedy and David Souter.

As a mom, I'm impressed that a mother of four could write such an impressive book. It helped me rediscover some of my former college-educated self who used to talk about these things instead of parenting techniques, pregnancy and labor stories, and weight loss techniques for new moms. It worked parts of my brain that really needed exercise and set me on the path to find some more meaty reading in the near future.

This is must-reading for anyone interested in conservative political thought, jurisprudence, or American thought and culture.