The Burger Court and the Rise of the Judicial Right

Written by Michael J. Graetz and Linda Greenhouse

Narrated by Mike Chamberlain

When Richard Nixon campaigned for the presidency in 1968 he promised to change the Supreme Court. With four appointments to the court, including Warren E. Burger as the chief justice, he did just that. In 1969, the Burger Court succeeded the famously liberal Warren Court, which had significantly expanded civil liberties and was despised by conservatives across the country.

The Burger Court is often described as a "transitional" court between the Warren Court and the Rehnquist and Roberts Courts, a court where little of importance happened. But as this "landmark new book" (The Christian Science Monitor) shows, the Burger Court veered well to the right in such areas as criminal law, race, and corporate power. Authors Michael J. Graetz and Linda Greenhouse excavate the roots of the most significant Burger Court decisions and in "elegant, illuminating arguments" (The Washington Post) show how their legacy affects us today.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Apr 25, 2017
• ISBN: 9781541471078

Reviews for The Burger Court and the Rise of the Judicial Right

[schmerguls · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

5427. The Burger Court and the Rise of the Judicial Right, by Michael J. Graetz and Linda Greenhouse (read 29 Nov 2016) This is an excellent book, right up to the present. It discusses the Supreme Court during the years from 1969 to 1987--the years when Warren Burger was Chief Justice. But in order to give context the book discusses events before and after those years as well. Its principal divisions are captioned Crime, Race, Social Transformation, Business, and The Presidency. Each topic is covered as thoroughly as even a lawyer would want, with full footnotes and legal citations. The authors show the ways that the Burger Court cut down on the accomplishments of the Warren Court, even though they did not reverse them--leaving such for the Rehnquist and Roberts Court to do. I found all the discussion of exceptional interest, although I will admit the section under Business dealing with workplace inequality is pretty technical and without close study is hard to absorb. But all the other parts of the book are of huge interest and most enlightening.