Storm center cover

Storm center

by David M. O'Brien

"In this fully updated version of his 1986 American Bar Association Silver Gavel Award-winning book, noted constitutional law scholar David M. O'Brien again brings the Supreme Court into open view. We meet the current nine justices and their sometimes eccentric predecessors. We hear the surprising backstage stories of their appointments and the presidential efforts to shape the Court. Based on thorough interviews with current and past justices, and continual and exhaustive research into the private working papers of justices as well as their presidents, the book reveals the negotiations and compromises behind the landmark and the early 1990 decisions on abortion, school desegregation, legislative apportionment, free speech, and the rights of the accused. In the midst of the ongoing debate over the Supreme Court, we see, above all, "the least dangerous branch" of government where personality, politics, law, and justice come together in a "storm center" to shape and often change drastically the society in which we live."--[book jacket].

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?