jeffrey toobin on 3 most important

Jeffrey Toobin on the 3 most important revelations in his new book "The

Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court."

"[A]t descending levels of specificity."

Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court -- that's the subtitle --

so this better be pretty revealing.

The theme of the book - not exactly a revelation, I suppose - is

the growth of the conservative movement and its effect on the

Court.

Right: That is in no way a revelation.

I start with the birth of the Federalist Society shortly after

President Reagan's election and show how young conservatives like

John Roberts and Samuel Alito were drawn to Washington and

flourished there. To see that story spelled out over twenty-five

years was - to me, anyway - a revelation.

That's not inside the Supreme Court either. (Where, I've heard tell,

it's a secret world.)

Second, the book contains the first detailed, behind-the-scenes

reconstruction of what happened at the Court during Bush v. Gore -

a case which obsesses and fascinates me. As time passes, I believe

the significance of the case cannot be overstated.

Hey, I feel like I already read that book by Jeffrey Toobin. It looked

like this. How can this possibly be the "first" anything about Bush v.

Gore? Specify a revelation. Jeffrey Toobin has realized, with the

passage of time, that the case is really, really, incredibly

important, even more important than the last time he wrote a book

about it. That may be a revelation, but it's a revelation about the

inside of Jeffrey Toobin's head, not the inside of the Supreme Court.

Where's my Secret World?

Third, I disclose that David Souter nearly resigned in protest over

Bush v. Gore. That story, in one way, illustrates the magnitude of

the case.

That's it! That is the nugget from the inner sanctum. David Souter

nearly resigned. Because if he had actually resigned, it wouldn't have

been a secret. Good thing he thought twice and kept his seat, because

otherwise there wouldn't have been any news from the Secret World.

But wait. Toobin had "interviews with the justices themselves" -- the

dust jacket says. Asked about that, he says he won't say how many of

the justices he interviewed. And he says some of the law clerks told

him to go to hell. So that's something from the Secret World. Attempts

by Toobin to gain access are met with curses.

And he did talk to Sandra Day O'Connor, albeit from outside the Secret

World. Per Toobin, she's "appalled" at the Roberts Court.

Labels: books, Bush v. Gore, Federalist Society, Jeffrey Toobin, John

Roberts, law, O'Connor, Souter, Supreme Court