Resources / Book of the Month

My overall impression of The Nine is very favorable.  The style is easy going and informative.  There is no need to struggle or have a dictionary ready for obscure terms and references.  You must have some knowledge of the structure and history of the court but it is not entirely necessary.  Toobin is more concerned with telling the reader about the lives and personalities of the justices, what the court does and how it works as a modern institution.  To be honest, this is the first book I have read concerning the Supreme Court and I must confess it was an eye opening experience.  No other government entity has been so exclusive yet still affects all of us so intimately.  How did these nine get to where they are now?  Does America care that we are being led through life by relative strangers and unknowns?  Is this a good thing? 

After reading The Nine, I have come to some conclusions.  First I believe this cloud of secrecy and privacy needs to be stripped away from the Supreme Court.  We need more transparency in our government especially when the decision and discussion made affect us so repeatedly on a daily basis.  It seems that the more we know about our elected and appointed officials the better decision we can make.  It’s a little disconcerting to find out after the fact that those in which we put so much faith have feet of clay.  It’s sort of like buying a house, not having it inspected only to find out later the foundation was laid incorrectly!

The second thing is we definitely need a new nomination and selection process for justices.  The behind the scenes look at how it really occurs has given me the creeps.  The fact that any President leaves this up to political appointees and party partisanship is appalling.  Of all the positions in government, these nine should be based on merit and expertise alone, not some vague notion of political leaning or view of what this county should look like!

If you really want to learn what this country is facing, you need to read this book.  Not just for its historical significance but for your own informational purposes.  If there is one thing the people of the world need, it’s more information.

--David Thomas

David is a Video Streaming Technician.  He is currently pursuing a Masters in Education at Manhattanville College.  To view David’s LinkedIn profile, click here.