Reviews
"Toobin is one of the most talented reporters covering American law." -- The New York Times Book Review "Deeply versed in Supreme Court lore and legal subtlety, [Toobin] draws upon first-hand interviews with the justices and their clerks in crafting an anxious tale of the Roberts court, casting its major rulings as looming symbols of judicial philosophy. . . . A polished and thoughtful dissection." -- USA Today "A compelling narrative of the early years of the Roberts court. . . . The many pleasures of The Oath come . . . from human details about the justices and their interactions with the White House." -- The Washington Post "Anyone fascinated by the inner workings of the highest court in the land will be delighted." -- The Huffington Post "Not until scholars a generation hence gain access to the justices' papers are we likely to have a more useful, or more readable, picture of this oddly assorted group of judges at this moment in history." -- The New York Times Book Review "A worthy successor to The Nine , The Oath is a work of probity, intelligence and exceptional reporting." -- Richmond Times-Dispatch "Might . . . be viewed eventually as the best book about the court during the opening half-decade of John Roberts' reign as chief justice. . . . Toobin does his job well." -- The Seattle Times "Court watchers, serious and occasional, will find Toobin's explanation of the issues at stake . . . before the Roberts court well worth their time." -- St. Louis Post-Dispatch "Exceptionally readable. . . . Blends strong reporting with a sure historical grasp of the court." -- The Columbus Dispatch "An artfully constructed chronicle. . . . The Oath delivers a bracing survey of the court's key decisions and divisions. . . . Toobin's sketches of the justices are fabulous." -- Bookforum "Lucid, lively and astute. . . . Toobin has the chops (and the contacts) to take readers inside the court." -- Minneapolis Star Tribune "For political, and governmental, junkies. . . . Fall[s] into the Robert Caro-Lyndon Johnson category. . . . Reminds us that it is the interplay between different personalities and agendas that more than any scholarly argument or historical text is often at the heart of the laws we live with." -- The Boston Globe "A reliable and astute guide through the thicket of legalese." -- The Miami Herald "Toobin [is] a rare authority who knows how to write. . . . This is, in short, a book suitable for reading in the study or while sprawled at the beach." -- Chicago Sun-Times "A revealing look at the ideological battle between the White House and the Supreme Court." -- Booklist (starred review) "A skillful probing of the often-discordant relationship between the president and the Supreme Court. . . . Shrewd and elucidating." -- Kirkus Reviews, "Toobin is one of the most talented reporters covering American law." - The New York Times Book Review "Deeply versed in Supreme Court lore and legal subtlety, [Toobin] draws upon first-hand interviews with the justices and their clerks in crafting an anxious tale of the Roberts court, casting its major rulings as looming symbols of judicial philosophy. . . . A polished and thoughtful dissection." - USA Today "A compelling narrative of the early years of the Roberts court. . . . The many pleasures of The Oath come . . . from human details about the justices and their interactions with the White House." - The Washington Post "Anyone fascinated by the inner workings of the highest court in the land will be delighted." - The Huffington Post "Not until scholars a generation hence gain access to the justices' papers are we likely to have a more useful, or more readable, picture of this oddly assorted group of judges at this moment in history." - The New York Times Book Review "A worthy successor to The Nine , The Oath is a work of probity, intelligence and exceptional reporting." - Richmond Times-Dispatch "Might . . . be viewed eventually as the best book about the court during the opening half-decade of John Roberts' reign as chief justice. . . . Toobin does his job well." - The Seattle Times "Court watchers, serious and occasional, will find Toobin's explanation of the issues at stake . . . before the Roberts court well worth their time." - St. Louis Post-Dispatch "Exceptionally readable. . . . Blends strong reporting with a sure historical grasp of the court." - The Columbus Dispatch "An artfully constructed chronicle. . . . The Oath delivers a bracing survey of the court's key decisions and divisions. . . . Toobin's sketches of the justices are fabulous." - Bookforum "Lucid, lively and astute. . . . Toobin has the chops (and the contacts) to take readers inside the court." - Minneapolis Star Tribune "For political, and governmental, junkies. . . . Fall[s] into the Robert CaroLyndon Johnson category. . . . Reminds us that it is the interplay between different personalities and agendas that more than any scholarly argument or historical text is often at the heart of the laws we live with." - The Boston Globe "A reliable and astute guide through the thicket of legalese." - The Miami Herald "Toobin [is] a rare authority who knows how to write. . . . This is, in short, a book suitable for reading in the study or while sprawled at the beach." - Chicago Sun-Times "A revealing look at the ideological battle between the White House and the Supreme Court." - Booklist (starred review) "A skillful probing of the often-discordant relationship between the president and the Supreme Court. . . . Shrewd and elucidating." - Kirkus Reviews, Praise for The Oath "More than three decades after Bob Woodward wrote The Brethren , Toobin is Woodward's successor as the chronicler of behind-the-scenes details from the Supreme Court, and the book is a page-turner." -- The Washington Post "From the awkward swearing-in of President Obama by Chief Justice Roberts to Obama's caustic reaction to the Citizens United ruling to Roberts' support of Obama's health-care law, the tumultuous relationship between the administration and the Supreme Court has been increasingly evident…Legal analyst Toobin offers a vivid inside look at the personalities and politics behind the fractious relationship…Among the highlights: Ginsburg's scathing dissent on a ruling against a claim of pay disparity, in which she urged congressional action; Souter's caustic dissent in Citizens United that questioned Roberts' integrity; and Scalia's bitter disappointment in Roberts' decision on the health-care law. A revealing look at the ideological battle between the White House and the Supreme Court." -- Booklist , starred review "A skillful probing of the often-discordant relationship between the president and the Supreme Court...Shrewd and elucidating." --Kirkus Reviews "In The Oath , Toobin-a legal correspondent for the New Yorker and CNN-gives a full account of the current struggle over constitutional interpretation. It's an artfully constructed chronicle, and Toobin vigorously argues its conclusions. He skillfully interweaves three topics: the leading cases that illustrate the ambition of the Roberts Court; the four appointments since 2006 (Roberts, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan) that have turned the court into an institution blatantly divided between five committed Republicans and four committed Democrats; and illuminating sketches of all the justices, including the three recent retirees (Sandra Day O'Connor, David Souter, and John Paul Stevens). For civilian readers, Toobin blends the equivalent of Con Law 101 with terrific political reportage." -- Bookforum Praise for The Nine Winner of the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize " The Nine not only provides a vivid narrative history of the Court's recent history, but also gives the reader an intimate look at the individual justices, showing how personality, judicial philosophy and personal alliances can inform decisions that have huge consequences for the entire country . . . Driven by the author's assured narrative voice, The Nine is as informative as it is fascinating, as insightful as it is readable." -Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times "Smart and entertaining . . . The Nine is engaging, erudite, candid and accessible, often hard to put down. Toobin is a natural storyteller, and the stories he tells are gripping . . . [He] writes about the court more fluidly and fluently than anyone." -David Margolick, The New York Times Book Review " The Nine is the latest, and by far the best [book] . . . about the Supreme Court." -Nina Totenberg, NPR "This is a remarkable, riveting book. So great are Toobin's narrative skills that both the justices and their inner world are brought vividly to life." -Doris Kearns Goodwin "[An] absorbing group profile . . . [Toobin] deftly distills the issues and enlivens his narrative of the Court's internal wrangling with sharp thumbnail sketches." - Publishers Weekly "A compelling look at the power and the politics behind the Supreme Court." - Booklist "A major achievement, lucid and probing." -Bob Woodward "Toobin's sparkling new work is anecdotally rich and clearly written . . . A testimony to [his] skill." - USA Today "Intelligent and even-handed . . . Toobin's access to the Supremes and their secret little world is phenomenal." - Chicago Sun-Times
