"The government of the United States has been emphatically termed a government of laws, and not of men." So wrote Chief Justice John Marshall in Marbury v. Madison in 1803, the first case in which the Supreme Court ruled a law unconstitutional and asserted its right and power to interpret the U.S. Constitution. Since then, the Supreme Court has been a co-equal branch of government with Congress and the presidency.
Arranged in chronological order, Justices of the United States Supreme Court, Fourth Edition examines the biographical facts of each Supreme Court justice’s life, including his or her background in the law, the paths that led each one to the Supreme Court, and each justice’s major decisions, as well as how these decisions reveal an underlying legal philosophy. All entries and their corresponding bibliographies have been thoroughly updated in this revised four-volume set, and the nine entries on Justices Breyer, Ginsburg, Kennedy, O’Connor, Rehnquist, Scalia, Souter, Stevens, and Thomas have been completely revised. New entries on Justices Alito, Roberts, and Sotomayor have also been added, as well as on President Obama's replacement for Justice Stevens in 2010.
Edited by the distinguished legal scholar Leon Friedman and historian Fred L. Israel, Justices of the United States Supreme Court, Fourth Edition features contributions by some of the most prominent legal historians in the country. This reference is more reader-friendly than the previous editions, containing a new introduction; an updated appendix with revised statistics and charts, including new tables on length of service and a list of rejected and withdrawn nominees; a chronology of the greatest moments in Supreme Court history; additional photographs and illustrations; and fact boxes for each justice. This definitive biographical reference on the Supreme Court will be a welcome addition to high school, college, and library collections.
Profiles include:
- Exact birth and death dates
- Place of birth/home state
- Career
- Education
- Military service
- First and last day on court
- Tally and date of Senate vote
- Justice replaced
- Exact length of service
- Reason for leaving court
- Political party
- Religion
- Family (spouse/children)
- Parents
- Cause of death.
