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Closed Chambers: The Rise, Fall, and Future of the Modern Supreme Court
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Closed Chambers: The Rise, Fall, and Future of the Modern Supreme Court Paperback - 2005

by Edward Lazarus

The author of "Black Hills/White Justice" offers an inside look at the most secretive institution in the American government--the Supreme Court. of photos.


Summary

When Closed Chambers was first published, it was met with a firestorm of controversy—as well as a shower of praise—for being the first book to break the code of silence about the inner workings of this country’s most powerful court. In this eloquent, trailblazing account, with a new chapter covering Bush v. Gore, Guantanamo, and other recent controversial court decisions, Edward Lazarus, who served as a clerk to Justice Harry Blackmun, presents a searing indictment of a court at war with itself and often in neglect of its constitutional duties. Combining memoir, history, and legal analysis, Lazarus reveals in astonishing detail the realities of what takes place behind the closed doors of the U.S. Supreme Court—an institution that through its rulings holds the power to affect the life of every American. 

From the publisher

When Closed Chambers was first published, it was met with a firestorm of controversy--as well as a shower of praise--for being the first book to break the code of silence about the inner workings of this country's most powerful court. In this eloquent, trailblazing account, with a new chapter covering Bush v. Gore, Guantanamo, and other recent controversial court decisions, Edward Lazarus, who served as a clerk to Justice Harry Blackmun, presents a searing indictment of a court at war with itself and often in neglect of its constitutional duties. Combining memoir, history, and legal analysis, Lazarus reveals in astonishing detail the realities of what takes place behind the closed doors of the U.S. Supreme Court--an institution that through its rulings holds the power to affect the life of every American.

From the rear cover

"Operating within a Network of Byzantine Secrecy, The United States Supreme Court is the most powerful judicial institution in the world. Nine unelected justices are charged with protecting our most cherished rights and shaping our fundamental laws."--BOOK JACKET. "In this account, Edward Lazarus, who served as a clerk to Justice Harry Blackmun, provides an insider's guided tour of a court at war with itself and often in neglect of its constitutional duties. Combining memoir, history, and legal analysis, Lazarus weaves together past and present to reveal how law, politics, and personality collide in the Court's inner sanctum."--BOOK JACKET.

Details

  • Title Closed Chambers: The Rise, Fall, and Future of the Modern Supreme Court
  • Author Edward Lazarus
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reissue
  • Pages 608
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Penguin Books, New York Ontario London
  • Date 2005-04-26
  • Features Bibliography, Index
  • ISBN 9780143035275 / 0143035274
  • Weight 1.09 lbs (0.49 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.1 x 5.32 x 1.31 in (20.57 x 13.51 x 3.33 cm)
  • Ages 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Library of Congress subjects United States - History, Political questions and judicial power -
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2005273979
  • Dewey Decimal Code 347.732

Media reviews

"Ambitious, opinionated, scholarly, gossipy … wonderful. Closed Chambers is a crash course in contemporary constitutional law and judicial culture." —Newsday



"Lazarus has opened a window on matters that are usually kept secret. … [He] should be praised … for shedding light where it is needed." —The Washington Post



"Impeccably resarched and impressibly documented … will fascinate diehard court-watchers." —The Boston Globe



"The Court needs critics—and members—with Lazarus's intellectual clarity and deep attachment to its best traditions." —Los Angeles Times

About the author

Edward Lazarus is the author of Black Hills, White Justice. He writes regularly for national publications including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Atlantic Monthly. A former federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, Lazarus is currently in private practice in California.
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Closed Chambers: The Rise, Fall, and Future of the Modern Supreme Court
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Closed Chambers: The Rise, Fall, and Future of the Modern Supreme Court

by Edward Lazarus

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Closed Chambers: The Rise, Fall, and Future of the Modern Supreme Court
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Closed Chambers: The Rise, Fall, and Future of the Modern Supreme Court

by Edward Lazarus

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New York: Penguin Books, 2005. Paperback. Very Good. 8vo - over 7? - 9?" tall. Penquin Books, 2005. Trade Paperback in Very Good Condition. Updated version, with a new chapter. Clean and unmarked wraps, light wear around edges, spine ends slightly scuffed, glued binding tight & solid, square. Pages intact, completely clean, no marks of any kind. Edward Lazarus worked as a clerk to Justice Blackmun. He provides an insider's guided tour of a court at war with itself and often in neglect of its constitutional duties. The Supreme Court affects the life of every American every day. Lazarus' book will open the eyes of the nation to the realities of what takes place behind the closed doors of the institution that holds the power to resolve the most fiercely disputed issuesof our time. 598 pages with Notes and Index. 8.2 x 5.25 x 1.6 inches. 2005, Penguin Books, New York.
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