The Supremes’ Greatest Hits

The Supremes’ Greatest Hits: The 34 Supreme Court Cases That Most Directly Affect Your Life by Michael G. Trachtman
My review
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I’m a bit of a closet law junkie. I read the Decision of the Day blog, I follow the Supreme Court pretty regularly. This little book is a pretty good primer on the basics of Constitutional law, and it provides a good background on how seemingly innocuous rulings end up having broader implications. I also liked (but maybe question whether they deserve placement in the “most important” cases, since their historical relevance has yet to be determined) that the author included some very recent rulings like MGM v. Grokster and Kelo v. City of New London. About the only thing that disappointed me was the shortness of some of the summaries, and the lack of attention to the fact that the ever-changing makeup of the Court is as important as precedent at times. He does address the Court makeup to an extent in the afterword, but it would have been interesting to see a breakdown of each case’s vote.
Still, a good starter book for the Supreme Court enthusiast.
I have no idea what I’m going to read next. Probably one of the books I got for Christmas like the Dark Tower graphic novel or some such. Check the right side for an update when I pick one.