So said the ancient lawgiver Solon. Anyway, need to impress friends with your thoughtful and perspicacious take on the Sotomayor nomination? Intellectual ammo is available in the form of the the following ten legal reasoning must-reads.
In no particular order:
The Supreme Court and the American Elite, 1789-2008
Lucas A. Powe, Jr.
A powerful reubuttal from a leading legal mind of the notion that Supreme Court deliberation and decision can somehow be separated from "politics."
How Judges Think
Richard A. Posner
As a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and one of the country's favorite public intellectuals, Posner, whose newer book A Failure of Capitalism is making the media rounds, is well-positioned to tell us the answer to that not-so-simple question.
Justice in Robes
Ronald Dworkin
How do judges negotiate the intersection of their own personal beliefs with the duty to judge fairly and apply the law as written? Dworkin himself was mentioned as a possible SCOTUS nominee prior to the Sotomayor announcement.
A Theory of Justice, Revised Edition
John Rawls
Love him or hate him, with Rawls you must reckon.
Saying What the Law Is: The Constitution in the Supreme Court
Charles Fried
Jargon-free survey of the issues facing the Court today from someone who's been there (before the Court, that is).
What Blood Won't Tell: A History of Race on Trial in America
Ariela J. Gross
The long and tortured history of the idea of "race," legally considered.
Lincoln and the Court
Brian McGinty
Tracks the dealings of our most "lawyerly" president with the nation's most exclusive lawyers' club.
Women's Lives, Men's Laws
Catharine A. MacKinnon
"Equal under the law" means something different if you're a woman.
One Case at a Time: Judicial Minimalism on the Supreme Court
Cass R. Sunstein
A defense of legal incrementalism from the now-head of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.
The Latino Education Crisis: The Consequences of Failed Social Policies
Patricia Gándara and Frances Contreras
The data show that many Latinos fall behind early and never get back. What can be done to stop this?
