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Supreme Court of the U.S. [est. 1787]

formal portrait of the U.S. Supreme Court, October 2022         Article 3
timelines
books
movies & TV

important justices
impeachable members
possible replacements

The Working Minds Philosophy of Empowerment began with existentialism and Objectivism (Ayn Rand) but soon moved into economics and to politics.
The U.S. Constitution was created in 1787 and ratified in 1788, and cancelled by the U.S. Supreme Court on 21 January 2010 – the United States is today
a fascist country, and the activist push by the Working Minds website has since been largely about restoring constitutional rule in America.

Article 3, Section 1: The judicial Power of the United States shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.
The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behavior, and shall, at stated Times, receive for their Services a Compensation which shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office.

Article Three of the U.S. Constitution entry at Wikipedia

SCOTUS weblog [est. 2002] sponsored by Bloomberg Law

Supreme Court Resources at U.S. Library of Congress

The Supreme Court History Society [est. 1974] in Washington, DC

Oyez: The Supreme Court Multimedia Project

"[We] are not, like, the nine greatest experts on the internet." — Justice Elena Kagan, in February 2023

"The Supreme Court is looking less like a bench and more like an auction house."
— Cong. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez [Dem NY-14], in May 2023

                                               

Timeline of Selected U.S. Supreme Court Cases and Events


  • 1789 Sept 24: Congress passed a Judiciary Act establishing an Attorney General and a Supreme Court with six justices.
  • 1790 Feb 1: The U.S. Supreme Court convened for the first time, in New York City.
  • 1809 Feb 20: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that no state can annul the judgments or determine the jurisdictions of federal courts.
  • 1857 March 6: U.S. Supreme Court Dred Scott v. Sanford decision, holding that a slave could not sue for his freedom in federal court.
  • 1879 May 5: U.S. Supreme Court decided Reynolds v. U.S., finding that religious beliefs, such as polygamy, are not a defense in criminal prosecutions.
  • 1886 May 10: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad Company that corporations are 'persons' having the same rights as human beings, based on the 14th Amendment (which was intended to protect the rights of former slaves).
  • 1896 May 18: The U.S. Supreme Court decided in Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 that the principle of 'separate but equal' racial segregation was Constitutional. (The decision was overturned in 1954.)

  • 1911: The U.S. Supreme Court decreed that Kalem had violated copyright law in making their "Ben-Hur" movie; the decision stated clearly that motion picture production companies must first secure the film rights of any previously-published work that is still under copyright before commissioning a screenplay based on that work, and ordered Kalem to pay $25,000 to the Lew Wallace estate.
  • 1922 Feb 27: The U.S. Supreme Court decision Leser v. Garnett upheld the 19th Amendment, which guarantees women the right to vote.
  • 1937 May 27: The U.S. Supreme Court decided a set of rulings that uphold the constitutionality of the Social Security Act of 1935.
  • 1942 Dec 21: The U.S. Supreme Court decided 6-2 in Williams v. North Carolina, 317 U.S. 287 that all states had to recognize divorces granted in Nevada.
  • 1946 Feb 18: California court case Mendez et al v. Westminster School District, in which a group of civic-minded parents of Orange County successfully sued to end segregation based on national origin (i.e. 'Mexican' kids) in their schools; precursor for Brown vs. Board of Education in May 1954.

  • 1953 March 9: The U.S. Supreme Court handed down the landmark U.S. vs. Reynolds decision, validating the government's bogus claim of privilege on matters of alleged national security, one of the precedents supporting the U.S.A. Patriot Acts of 2002 & 2004.
  • 1953 June 8: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in District of Columbia v. Thompson Co. - 346 U.S. 100 that restaurants in the D.C. area could not refuse to serve 'members of the Negro race'.
  • 1953 Oct 5: Former three-term Governor of California Earl Warren was sworn in as the 14th Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court; he served until June 1969.
  • 1954 May 17: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka that racially segregated public schools were inherently unequal, under the Fourteenth Amendment.
         Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site [opened May 2004]
  • 1954 May 17: The U.S. Supreme Court also ruled in the Bolling v. Sharpe case that established the Fifth Amendment as another basis for equal protection.
  • 1956 Nov 13: The U.S. Supreme Court agreed with a lower court's finding in Browder v. Gayle that discrimination against Afro-Americans on Montgomery, Alabama's public bus system was unconstitutional.

  • 1960 Dec 5: The U.S. Supreme Court decided in the landmark Boynton v. Virginia case that racial discrimination in interstate transportation was unconstitutional.
  • 1961 June 19: The U.S. Supreme Court decided in the landmark Mapp v. Ohio case that evidence obtained outside provisions of the Fourth Amendment may not be used in state or federal criminal prosecutions.
  • 1962 June 25: The U.S. Supreme Court decided in Engel v. Vitale {consolidated with the Murray v. Curlett case} that official or mandatory school prayers are unconstitutional.
  • 1962 Sept 10: The U.S. Supreme Court ordered the University of Mississippi to admit James Meredith, an Afro-American student.
  • 1963 March 18: The U.S. Supreme Court landmark Gideon v. Wainwright ruling requires a court-appointed attorney for those too indigent to pay for one, per the Sixth & Fourteenth Amendments.
  • 1963 June 17: The U.S. Supreme Court decided in Abington School District v. Schempp that official or mandatory school prayers are unconstitutional.
  • 1964 June 22: Important U.S. Supreme Court Escobedo v. Illinois decision specifying a suspect's right to legal counsel, per the Sixth Amendment; later clarified by Miranda v. Arizona in June 1966.
  • 1964 Dec 14: Important U.S. Supreme Court Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States {379 U.S. 241} decision affirming Congress's authority to enforce the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
  • 1965 June 7: The U.S. Supreme Court decided the landmark Griswold v. Connecticut case, that affirmed the individual's right to privacy, under the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
  • 1965 July 13: President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated attorney Thurgood Marshall to be U.S. Solicitor General, the first Afro-American appointed to the post. (Johnson nominated Marshall to the U.S. Supreme Court two years later.)
  • 1966 June 13: The U.S. Supreme Court decided the landmark Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966) case that criminal suspects must be informed of their constitutional rights to consult an attorney and to remain silent during interrogation.
  • 1967 June 12: The U.S. Supreme Court handed down the landmark Loving v. Virginia decision, striking down state laws prohibiting interracial marriage.
  • 1967 Oct 2: Swearing-in of Thurgood Marshall [1909-93] as Associate Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court; he was the first Afro-American on the Supreme Court, and served until October 1991.

  • 1972: Eisenstadt v. Baird which extended Griswold's right to birth control to cover unmarried couples.
  • 1973 Jan 22: Landmark decision Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 giving women the right to privacy in choosing to have an abortion. { see below }
  • 1976 Jan 30: The U.S. Supreme Court handed down the landmark Georgia v. McCollum decision, ruling that criminal defendents could not use race as basis for excluding potential jurors from their trials.
  • 1992 June 29: Landmark decision Planned Parenthood v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833.
  • 1998 Jan 10: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore that sexual harrassment at work can be illegal even when the offender and victim are of the same gender.
  • 2003: Lawrence v. Texas which granted people a right to homosexual relations by striking down a Texas sodomy law that prohibited certain forms of intimate sexual contact between members of the same sex.

  • 2010 Jan 21: Fascist Chief Justice John Roberts and the U.S. Supreme Court declared America to be a fascist state in the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, 558 U.S. case reversing a full century of election campaign finance restrictions on the ability of corporations to purchase any elected office that they want.
  • 2011 June 20: The U.S. Supreme Court struck another blow for fascism and against freedom and liberty in the Dukes v. Wal-Mart Stores [2000-2011] case by eliminating class action lawsuits against corporations.
  • 2014 April 2: Fascist Chief Justice John Roberts further destroyed democracy in McCutcheon v. F.E.C. 572 U.S.; the decision took away even more restrictions on political spending by millionaires & billionaires.
  • 2014 June 30: The Supreme Court's ludicrous Burwell v. Hobby Lobby decision provides that 'the religious beliefs of a corporation' {sic} can officially override the health care options of their individual employees, such as in denying women any insurance coverage for birth control – another step backward for America.
  • 2015: Obergefell v. Hodges legalized same-sex marriage in another landmark case.

  • 2016 Feb 13: Justice Antonin Scalia [appointed 1986] died in his sleep; the worthless Republicans who control the U.S. Senate immediately established a policy of not reviewing or voting on any replacement nominated by President Obama.
  • 2016 March 16: President Obama officially nominated Judge Merrick Garland for the open U.S. Supreme Court Justice position; Congress continued to refuse to do their job, i.e. hold hearings and an up-or-down vote.
  • 2016 March 29: The Supreme Court’s first post-Scalia 4-4 decision in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association harmed the Republican plan of not confirming Scalia's replacement: the decision as handed down is a victory for working people because the tie vote left the lower court's pro-union decision stand.
  • 2018 Sept 18: The Supreme Court declined to intervene in a campaign finance reform case, leaving in place a lower-court ruling that will require non-profit advocacy groups to disclose the names of political donors; those groups will now have to release the names of donors who contribute more than $200 annually for the purpose of influencing a federal election, at least through the 2018 midterm elections; the Trump-controlled F.E.C. will likely write a new rule, but not before the midterms.
  • 2018 Oct 23: Retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor announced in a letter that she has the "beginning stages of dementia, probably Alzheimer's" and is retiring from public life.
  • 2018 Dec 21: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg underwent a pulmonary lobectomy for two malignant nodules in her lung; the surgery took place in New York City and was deemed a success.

  • 2020 Oct 27: Justice Amy Coney Barrett was sworn in to SCOTUS.
  • 2020 Dec 11: The U.S. Supreme Court wrote just three-sentences to refuse to hear the case from the Texas Attorney General to undo the recent votes of four other states.

  • 2021 Jan 6: The wife of Justice Clarence Thomas participated in the January 6th U.S. Capitol Riot insurrection; details and testimony and possible criminal charges are still to be determined (4/2022).

  • 2022 April 7: The U.S. Senate officially confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson (age 51) as the first Afro-American woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States; all 50 Democrats were joined by three Republicans voting in favor; 47 Republicans voted in lockstep against her nomination.
  • 2022 Sept 30: Biden-appointee Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was formally sworn in; she is the third Afro-American Justice on the high court.
  • 2023 Nov 13: The U.S. Supreme Court officially adopted a written ethics code for the first time, after several justices faced scandals over large gifts and incomplete financial disclosures. All other federal judges were already bound by an ethics code that doesn’t extend to the nine members of the nation’s top court, nor their staff. In introducing their code, the justices stressed that “these rules and principles are not new” but were meant to clear up an incorrect notion that the most powerful interpreters of the law were lawless. However, the ethics code doesn’t include any method for the public to lodge complaints nor a formal review mechanism to address alleged violations. One e-news headline: "Lawmakers Slam SCOTUS's New Nonbinding Ethics Code as 'Useless' PR Stunt"
     

                                               

Timeline of Roe v. Wade


    The right of privacy was spelled out in Griswold v. Connecticut in 1965, when the Supreme Court ruled that married couples had the right to buy and use contraceptives without government restriction. The court ruled in Griswold that there is a right to privacy enshrined in the Constitution: it's just not spelled out.

    Griswold v. Connecticut subsequently has been used as precedent in other Supreme Court cases, including:

  • 1972: Eisenstadt v. Baird which extended Griswold's right to birth control to cover unmarried couples.
  • 1973: Roe v. Wade giving women the right to privacy in choosing to have an abortion.
  • 1977: Carey v. Population Services International which gave young people who were at least 16 years of age access to contraception.
  • 1992: Planned Parenthood v. Casey
  • 2003: Lawrence v. Texas which granted people a right to homosexual relations by striking down a Texas sodomy law that prohibited certain forms of intimate sexual contact between members of the same sex.
  • 2015: Obergefell v. Hodges which legalized same-sex marriage in another landmark case.

  • 2022 May 2: News site Politico reported that it had obtained a leaked version of a majority Supreme Court opinion labeled as the “Opinion of The Court” that shows that the court has voted to overturn Roe v. Wade.
    The 98-page draft decision written by Justice Samuel Alito is a full-throated, unflinching repudiation of the 1973 decision which guaranteed federal constitutional protections of privacy in choosing to have an abortion and a subsequent 1992 decision – Planned Parenthood v. Casey – that largely maintained that right.

    Alito wrote: “We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled. Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”

    protestors on both sides of 'Roe v. Wade' outside U.S. Supreme Court Building in June 2022    2022 Friday June 24: The U.S. Supreme Court issued a bombshell ruling officially eliminating the constitutional right to abortion in the United States, undoing nearly 50 years of precedent; in the landmark "Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organi-zation" decision – the issue under consideration relates to Mississippi’s strict new abortion law – the fascist bloc of SCOTUS ruled that abortion is not a constitutional right and that the 1973 "Roe v. Wade" ruling and the 1992 "Planned Parenthood v. Casey" ruling guaranteeing the right to choose one's medical treatment are overturned. Justice Samuel Alito wrote the majority opinion and was joined by Justices Thomas, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Barrett, and Roberts.

     

                                               

Timeline of the Clarence Thomas Bribery Scandal


  • 1991: Clarence Thomas was confirmed as Associate Justice, after testimony about past sexist behaviour was largely ignored by Republicans.
  • 2004: The Los Angeles Times revealed that Thomas had accepted private plane trips paid for by Harlan Crow, the mega-rich Texas real estate investor and a prominent Republican donor; Crow also gave Thomas expensive gifts, including a Bible that once belonged to abolitionist Frederick Douglass - a gift that Thomas valued at $19,000 - and a bust of Abraham Lincoln valued at $15,000. In response, Thomas didn't stop accepting the lavish gifts and trips: instead, he stopped disclosing them on government forms so that reporters couldn't find out about any more of them.
  • 2014: One of Texas billionaire and Republican megadonor Harlan Crow's companies bought several Savannah, Georgia properties from Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his relatives in 2014 (, reported by ProPublica in April 2023). The company then became the landlord of Thomas' elderly mother, who lived in a one-story, two-bedroom house. Soon after the sale, the company spent tens of thousands of dollars renovating the house, repairing the roof and carport, and installing a new fence and gates. A post-Watergate federal disclosure law requires officials, including Supreme Court justices, to disclose most real estate sales, but Thomas didn't disclose the sales to Crow.
  • 2021 Jan 6: The wife of Justice Clarence Thomas participated in the January 6th U.S. Capitol Riot insurrection; details and testimony and possible criminal charges are still to be determined (4/2022).
  • 2023 August: The New York Times reported that Thomas bought a 40-foot Prevost Marathon Le Mirage XL luxury R.V. - like those used by touring rock bands - from longtime friend Anthony Welters, a health care tycoon. Thomas did not report the 'discharge of indebtedness' as income, as ethics rules and the Internal Revenue Service require. Thomas borrowed $267,230 from a wealthy friend to buy the R.V. and failed to pay a 'significant portion', if any, of the principal before the lender forgave the loan.
  • 2023 Oct 25: A report by Democratic Senate Finance Committee members revealed details of Clarence Thomas's illegal luxury R.V. activities back in August.
     

                                   

Books About The U.S. Supreme Court
browse Politics & Gov't/ United States / Judicial Branch books {800+ titles} at Amazon

Supreme Court & the Commander in Chief  "The Supreme Court and The Commander In Chief" [1976]
by Clinton Lawrence Rossiter

Cornell Univ Press 8¾x5½ pb [11/76] for $19.95
Cornell Univ Press hardcover [11/76] out of print/used
The Brethren / Inside The Supreme Court  "The Brethren: Inside The Supreme Court" [1979]
by Bob Woodward & Scott Armstrong

S&S 8½x5½ pb [7/2005] for $12.21
Avon mass pb [7/96] out of print/many used
S&S hardcover [12/79] out of print/many used
Storm Center / Supreme Court  "Storm Center: The Supreme Court In American Politics" [orig 1986; rev 2005]
by David M. O'Brien

W.W. Norton 7th edition 8¼x6½ pb [3/2005] for $19.00
http://www.amazon.com/Storm-Center-Supreme-American-Politics/dp/0393911969/ 9th edition
Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court  "The Oxford Companion To The Supreme Court of The United States" [1992]
Edited by Kermit L. Hall

Oxford Univ Press 10½x7½ hardcover [5/2005] for $40.95
bargain price hardcover [5/2005] out of print/used
People's History of The Supreme Court book by Peter Irons  "A People's History of The Supreme Court: The Men and Women Whose Cases and Deci-sions Have Shaped Our Constitution" [1999] by Peter Irons, Foreword by Howard Zinn
Kindle Edition from Penguin Books [2006 edition] for $9.99
Penguin Books 9x6 pb [7/2006] out of print/60+ used
Penguin Books 9x6 pb [8/2000] for $9.62
Viking Adult 9¼x6¼ hardcover [8/99] for $14.40
Betrayal of America book by Vincent Bugliosi   "The Betrayal of America: How The Supreme Court Undermined The Constitution & Chose Our President" [2001] by Vincent Bugliosi
Thunder's Mouth Press 7½x5 pb [5/2001] for $9.95
Supreme Injustice / Hijacked Election 2000 book by Alan M. Dershowitz   "Supreme Injustice: How The High Court Hijacked Election 2000" [2001]
by Alan M. Dershowitz

Oxford Univ Press pb [10/2002] for $10.47
Oxford Univ Press 9½x6½ hardcover [6/2001] for $17.50
Velvet Coup book by Daniel Lazare  "The Velvet Coup: The Constitution, The Supreme Court & The Decline of American Democracy" [2001] by Daniel Lazare
Verso 7x5¾ hardcover [10/2001] for $14.95
Overruling Democracy book by Jamin B. Raskin  "Overruling Democracy: The Supreme Court vs. The American People" [2003]
by Jamin B. Raskin

"[The author] offers a host of proposals to make politics in the United States more democratic and vibrant." — Alexander Keyssar, L.A. Times Book Review Section
Routledge 9.4x6¼ hardcover [1/2003] for $19.25
Men In Black / Supreme Court book by Mark R. Levin  "Men In Black: How The Supreme Court Is Destroying America" [1/2005]
by Mark R. Levin

A right-wing talk show host's whining fulmination against the Supreme Court, further tainted by raves from radio fool Limp Rushbaugh & disgraced politician Edwin Meese III
DO NOT buy this book!
Supreme Court Decisions that Shaped America book by Kermit Hall & John Patrick  "The Pursuit of Justice: Supreme Court Decisions That Shaped America" [2006]
by Kermit L. Hall & John J. Patrick

Oxford Univ Press 10½x8 pb [12/2006] for $20.05
Oxford Univ Press 10½x8½ hardcover [12/2006] for $46.08
Supreme Conflict / Supreme Court book by Jan Crawford Greenburg  "Supreme Conflict: The Inside Story of The Struggle For Control of The United States Supreme Court" [2007] by Jan Crawford Greenburg
Penguin Press 9¼x6¼ hardcover [1/2007] for $18.45
The Nine / Inside The Supreme Court by Jeffrey Toobin  "The Nine: Inside The Secret World of The Supreme Court" [2007]
by Jeffrey Toobin

listed #8 on TIME Top Ten Best Non-Fiction Books of The Year (12/2007)
Kindle Edition from Random House Digital [9/2008] for $11.99
Anchor Books 8x5¼ pb [9/2008] for $10.66
Doubleday 9¼x6 hardcover [9/2007] out of print/300+ used
Handy Supreme Court Answer Book by David L. Hudson, Jr.  "The Handy Supreme Court Answer Book: The History and Issues Explained"
[2007 & 2023] by David L. Hudson, Jr. JD

book provides 600 answers covering the history, nominating process, and court decisions on individual and other rights as well as a few fun facts
2nd edition Kindle Edition from Visible Ink Press [5/2023] for $11.99
2nd edition Visible Ink Press 9¼x7 pb [5/2023] for $29.95
2nd edition Visible Ink Press 9¼x7¼ hardcover [5/2023] for $57.95 {sic}
1st edition Visible Ink Press 9¼x7¼ pb [10/2007] for $21.95

Supreme Court Greatest Hits book by Michael G. Trachtman  "The Supremes' Greatest Hits, Revised & Updated: The 37/44 Supreme Court Cases That Most Directly Affect Your Life" [2007, 2009 & 2016] by Michael G. Trachtman, Esq.
34/37/44 of the most significant issues that SCOTUS has grappled with - from equal rights to privacy rights, from the limits of speech to the boundaries between church and state; among the most intriguing: Dred Scott v. Sandford 1857, Brown v. Board of Education 1954, Miranda v. Arizona 1966, Roe v. Wade 1973, and Bush v. Gore 1973
44 cases: Kindle Edition from Union Square & Co. [rev 9/2016] for $2.99 {sic}
44 cases: Union Square & Co. 8x5½ pb [rev 9/2016] for $16.99
37 cases: Sterling 7¾x5¾ hardcover [rev 10/2009] for $16.99

"Justice Brennan: Liberal Champion" [Oct 2010] by Seth Stern and Stephen Wermiel
http://www.amazon.com/Justice-Brennan-Champion-Seth-Stern/dp/B0052HL5AU/

"Making Our Democracy Work: A Judge's View" [Sept 2011] by Stephen Breyer
http://www.amazon.com/Making-Our-Democracy-Work-Judges/dp/0307390837/

The Oath, Obama White House & the Supreme Court book by Jeffrey Toobin  "The Oath: The Obama White House and The Supreme Court" [2012]
by Jeffrey Toobin
also >> obama
Kindle Edition from Random House Digital [9/2012] for $11.99
Anchor Books 8x5¼ pb [6/2013] for $12.91
Doubleday 9½x6½ hardcover [9/2012] for $20.40
Federalist Society book by Michael Avery & Danielle McLaughlin  "The Federalist Society: How Conservatives Took The Law Back From Liberals" [2013] by Michael Avery & Danielle McLaughlin
Kindle Edition from Vanderbilt Univ Press [6/2013] for $10.09
Vanderbilt Univ Press 10x7¼ hardcover [4/2013] for $25.37
The Roberts Court book by Marcia Coyle  "The Roberts Court: The Struggle For The Constitution" [2013]
by Marcia Coyle

Kindle Edition from Simon & Schuster Digital Sales [5/2013] for $12.74
Simon & Schuster 9½x6½ deckle-edge hardcover [5/2013] for $19.81
Supreme Court / One Person, One Vote book by J. Douglas Smith  "On Democracy's Doorstep: The Inside Story of How The Supreme Court Brought One Person, One Vote To The United States" [2014]
by J. Douglas Smith

Kindle Edition from Hill & Wang/Macmillan [6/2014] for $16.99
Hill & Wang 9¼x6¼ hardcover [6/2014] for $25.00

"Out of Order: Stories from the History of the Supreme Court" [March 2013] by Sandra Day O'Connor
http://www.amazon.com/Out-Order-Stories-History-Supreme/dp/0812993926/

"Uncertain Justice: The Roberts Court and the Constitution" [6/2014] by Laurence Tribe & Joshua Martz
http://www.amazon.com/Uncertain-Justice-Roberts-Court-Constitution/dp/0805099093/

"Injustices: The Supreme Court's History of Comforting the Comfortable and Afflicting the Afflicted" [Nation Books 3/2015] by Ian Millhiser
http://www.amazon.com/Injustices-Comforting-Comfortable-Afflicting-Afflicted/dp/1568584563/

Fourth Amendment in Flux book by Michael C. Gizzi & R. Craig Curtis  "The Fourth Amendment In Flux: The Roberts Court, Crime Control, and Digital Privacy"
[2016] by Michael C. Gizzi & R. Craig Curtis

Kindle Edition from Univ Press of Kansas [5/2016] for $12.79
Univ Press of Kansas 9x6 pb [6/2016] for $20.60
Univ Press of Kansas 9x6 hardcover [6/2016] for $39.95

"Confirmation Bias: Inside Washington's War Over The Supreme Court, From Scalia's Death To Justice Kavanaugh" [6/2019]
book by NYT reporter Carl Hulse about the fight to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant when Justice Scalia died - and the resultant paralyzing dysfunction in D.C.

Justice on the Brink book by Linda Greenhouse  "Justice On The Brink: The Death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, The Rise of Amy Coney Barrett, and Twelve Months That Transformed The Supreme Court" [2021]
by Pulitzer Prize-winner Linda Greenhouse, law columnist for The New York Times

'The gripping story of the Supreme Court’s transformation from a measured institution of law & justice into a highly-politicized body dominated by a right-wing supermajority, told through the dramatic lens of its most transformative year'
Kindle Edition from Random House [11/2021] for $14.99
Random House Trade 8x5¼ pb [10/2022] for $15.67
Random House 9½x6¼ hardcover [11/2021] for $14.71

                                   

Movies & TV About The U.S. Supreme Court
browse Politics & Gov't/ United States / Judicial Branch books {800+ titles} at Amazon

"First Monday In October" semi-comedy? movie [Aug 1981]

"On the Basis of Sex: The Battle of Title IX" TV movie [2002] /tt2339581/

"Confirmation" TV movie [H.B.O. April 2016] /tt4608402/
The nomination of Judge Clarence Thomas to the United States Supreme Court was called into question
when former colleague Anita Hill testified that he had sexually harassed her.

                                   

Important Justices of The U.S. Supreme Court
list of the Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court at Wikipedia


John Marshall [1755-1835, served as Chief Justice 1801-35
listed #7 on The Atlantic Monthly's Top 100 Most Influential Figures in American History [Dec 2006]

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., 1902-32
listed #53 on The Atlantic Monthly's Top 100 Most Influential Figures in American History [Dec 2006]
"Oliver Wendell Holmes" bio [1989] by Sheldon Novick

Charles Evans Hughes Sr., 1910-16 (resigned to run for President)


Justice Louis D. Brandeis [1856-1941], served 1916-39
Justice Brandeis Quotations Page

Brandeis on Democracy  "Brandeis On Democracy" [1995] Edited by Philippa Strum
Louis D. Brandeis [1856-1941] was known as "The People's Attorney" for his investigations of corporate corruption, and was later appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court [1916-39]
Univ Press of KS 9x6 pb [1/95] for $19.94
Univ Press of KS 9¼x6¼ hardcover [1/95] for $29.95


Charles Evans Hughes Sr., Chief Justice 1930-41

Hugo Black, 1937-71

Felix Frankfurter, 1939-62

William O. Douglas, 1939-75

Earl Warren, Chief Justice 1953-69
listed #29 on The Atlantic Monthly's Top 100 Most Influential Figures in American History [Dec 2006]

William J. Brennan, Jr., 1956-90

Abe Fortas, 1965-69


Thurgood Marshall, 1967-91
listed #84 on The Atlantic Monthly's Top 100 Most Influential Figures in American History [Dec 2006]

Devil In The Grove book about Thurgood Marshall by Gilbert King  "Devil In The Grove: Thurgood Marshall, The Groveland Boys, and The Dawn of A New America" [2012] by Gilbert King
New York Times bestseller, won the Pulitzer Prize for Non-Fiction; in 1949 Florida, Jim Crow policies were enforced by the Lake County sheriff; when a white girl cried rape, the Ku Klux Klan swarmed to Groveland, burning black-owned homes and chasing around after the four accused Afro-American teenagers. After one N.A.A.C.P. worker was murdered, lawyer Thurgood Marshall – even though he was quite busy preparing Brown v. Board of Education to go before the Supreme Court – stepped into the fray, resulting in a series of threats on his life. But he just would not back down . . .
Kindle Edition from HarperCollins Publrs [3/2012] for $9.60
Harper Perennial 8x5½ pb [2/2013] for $10.11
Harper 9½x6½ hardcover [3/2012] for $18.79
Harper hardcover [3/2012] out of print/used


Warren E. Burger [1907-95], Chief Justice 1969-86
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_E._Burger

John Paul Stevens [1920-2019], 1975-2010
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Paul_Stevens

Sandra Day O’Connor, 1981-2006
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandra_Day_O%27Connor
listed #9 on The Atlantic Monthly's Top 30+ Most Influential Living Americans [Dec 2006]


Chief Justice William Rehnquist [1924-2005] - served 1986-2005

Supreme Court book by William H. Rehnquist  
"The Supreme Court: How It Was, How It Is" [orig 1987, rev 2001]
by William H. Rehnquist [1924-2005]

Vintage 8x5¼ pb [2/2002] for $11.96
Knopf 9¼x6 pb [2004] out of print/many used
Knopf 9½x6½ deckle-edge hardcover [2/2001] for $35.00
A Court Divided book by Mark Tushnet  "A Court Divided: The Rehnquist Court & The Future of Constitutional Law"
[2005] by Mark Tushnet

W.W. Norton 9½x6½ hardcover [1/2005] for $27.95

"The Partisan: The Life of William Rehnquist by John A. Jenkins(Oct 2, 2012)
http://www.amazon.com/Partisan-Life-William-Rehnquist/dp/1586488872/


INFO: member of the right-wing Federalist Society  Justice Antonin Scalia [1936-2016] - appointed 1986, died suddenly 2/2016

"Scalia: A Court of One" [] by Bruce Allen Murphy


Justice David H. Souter [b. 1939] - appointed 1990, retired 2009



Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg [1933-2020] - served August 1993 to September 2020
U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, 1980-1993
http://www.amazon.com/Ruth-Bader-Ginsburg/e/B00IQANMXS/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0046029/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Bader_Ginsburg

Notorious RBG biography by Irin Carmon & Shana Knizhnik  "Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg" [2015]
New York Times bestseller by Irin Carmon & Shana Knizhnik

Kindle Edition from Dey Street/HarperCollins [10/2015] for $11.99
Dey Street Books 9x7½ hardcover [10/2015] for $14.14
Ruth Bader Ginsberg docufilm 'R.B.G.' 2018  "R.B.G." docufilm [C.N.N. Films/Storyville Films May 2018]
covers the life and times of the second female Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court
Co-produced & directed by Julie Cohen & Betsy West; featuring Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Nina Totenberg, Gloria Steinem, Jane Ginsburg, James Ginsburg, Clara Spera, Bill Clinton
DVD/Blu-ray not yet available •
credits at IMDbwatch 3/2018 official trailer [2:36] online at YouTube

"On The Basis of Sex" [Nov 2018] /tt4669788/
world premiere at AFI Fest; starring Felicity Jones as Ruth Bader Ginsburg and featuring Armie Hammer, Justin Theroux, Kathy Bates,
and Sam Waterston; directed by AFI Conservatory alumna Mimi Leder


INFO: member of the right-wing Federalist Society  John G. Roberts, Jr. [b. 1955], Chief Justice since September 2005


Sonia Maria Sotomayor [b. 1954], appointed August 2009
browse legal & children's books by Sonia Sotomayor at Amazonentry at Wikipedia


Elena Kagan [b. 1960], appointed August 2010


INFO: member of the right-wing Federalist Society  Neil Gorsuch [b. 1967], appointed April 2017


INFO: member of the right-wing Federalist Society  Amy Coney Barrett [b. 1972], appointed October 2020


Ketanji Brown Jackson [b. 1970], appointed April 2022
the first Afro-American woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States; nominated February 2022, confirmed 7 April 2022 with a vote of 53-47
BREAKING 6-2022: Ketanji Brown Jackson named to TIME's 100 Most Influential People list!


There is a meme going around that the U.S. National Elections are not so much about taking/keeping the White House, but about the Supreme Court. Whoever does win the next election for President can be expected to appoint one or more replacements for aging members of the Supreme Court, which could very well have more and longer-lasting consequences than anything else that the President might do while in office. (Contingent, of course, on events during the election and afterward.)

The nine current justices in order by age are: Stephen G. Breyer [born 1938, retiring 2022 at age 83]; Clarence Thomas [born 1948, age 73]; Samuel A. Alito [born 1950, age 72]; Sonia Sotomayor [born 1954, age 67]; Chief Justice John G. Roberts [born 1955, age 67]; Elena Kagan [born 1960, age 61], Brett Kavanaugh [born 1965, age 57], Neil Gorsuch [born 1967, age 54], Ketanji Brown Jackson [b. 1970, age 51], and Amy Coney Barrett [born 1972, age 50]     { list & ages updated 4/2022 }

Impeachable Members of The U.S. Supreme Court

Impeachment Handbook  
"Impeachment: A Handbook" [1974 classic]
by Charles L. Black, Jr.; Foreword by Akhil Reed Amar of Yale

Kindle Edition from Yale Univ Press [1998 edition] for $7.99
Yale Univ Press 8x5 pb [10/98] out of print/used
Yale Univ Press 8¼x5¼ hardcover [10/98] out of print/used
Impeachment Citizen’s Guide book by Cass R. Sunstein  "Impeachment: A Citizen’s Guide" [2017] by Cass R. Sunstein
“Sunstein has written the story of impeachment [that] every citizen needs to know. This is a remarkable, essential book.” — Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin
Kindle Edition from Harvard Univ Press [10/2017] for $5.25
Harvard Univ Press mass pb [10/2017] for $5.53
To End A Presidency / Power of Impeachment book by Laurence Tribe & Joshua Matz  "To End A Presidency: The Power of Impeachment" [2018]
by Laurence Tribe & Joshua Matz

Kindle Edition from Basic Books/Hachette [5/2018] for $16.99
Basic Books pb [DUE March 2019] for $17.99
Basic Books 9½x6½ hardcover [5/2018] for $19.04


INFO: member of the right-wing Federalist Society  Clarence Thomas, appointed 1991
Assistant Attorney General of Missouri [1974-77]
attorney with the Monsanto Chemical Company in St. Louis, Missouri [1977-81]
chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (E.E.O.C.) [1982-90]
appointed Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1991

Clarence Thomas should be impeached for violating his oath of office, including fundraising for the Republican Party, for taking bribes
(unreported 'gifts'), and for not recusing himself (his wife has been a paid lobbyist for the TEA Party and others).

jump to the Impeach Thomas Page


INFO: member of the right-wing Federalist Society  Samuel Alito, appointed 2006
should be impeached for violating his oath of office


INFO: member of the right-wing Federalist Society  very dreadful conservative Brett Michael 'Above The Law' Kavanaugh, appointed October 2018
one-year fellowship with the Solicitor General of the United States Ken Starr [1992-93]
clerk for Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy [1993-94]
associate White House Counsel under Alberto Gonzales [2001-2003]
Assistant to President Bush and White House staff secretary [2003-2006]
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit [2006-2018]
appointed Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018

Brett Kavanaugh should be impeached for lying under oath to Congress (and earlier perjuries), witness tampering, and taking bribes.
There has been no attempt to investigate where Kavanaugh got the $70,000 to pay off his credit card debt from buying baseball tickets, nor where he got
the $200,000 cash for his country club membership, nor the $1.2 million used to buy a luxury home – all on a judge's annual salary of $220,000.

jump to the Brett Kavanaugh Page

Possible Replacements for Impeached Justices of The U.S. Supreme Court

Judge Jed S. Rakoff [b. 1943]
serving as U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York [apptd 3/1996, senior 12/2011]
official websitefaculty homepage at Columbia Law Schoolentry at Wikipedia

Judge Merrick Garland [b. 1952]
serving on U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit [apptd 1997, Chief Judge since 2013];
nominated 16 March 2016 by President Obama for U.S. Supreme Court Justice (treasonous blockage by Senate Republicans)
official websiteentry at Wikipedia

There are no guarantees in this existential Universe. Likewise, in Nature there is no punishment, only consequences.
Delve into any of the line items above and that self-education will deliver to you an advantage over your fellows,
who are blind sheeple complaining that the Universe makes no sense.

[copyright 2013-2023 by Gary Edward Nordell, all rights reserved]



G.E. Nordell's Dateline Chamesa weblog [est. 2005]

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