Book Review: John Paul Stevens, Five Chiefs — A Supreme Court Memoir, New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2011
Journal of Legal Education, Vol. 62, No. 4, 2013
Florida International University Legal Studies Research Paper No. 13-02
17 Pages Posted: 9 May 2013
Date Written: May 6, 2013
Abstract
John Paul Stevens has led a remarkable life in the law. As the title suggests, his memoir is organized around his career experiences with five chief justices: Fred Vinson, Earl Warren, Warren Burger, William Rehnquist, and John Roberts. Justice Stevens’ objective is to “share memories” of these five Chiefs and to “improve public understanding” of the Supreme Court. His vantages on the five Chiefs mark the stages of his professional experiences as: a law clerk to Justice Wiley Rutledge on the Vinson Court; as a practicing lawyer during the Warren Court; as a circuit judge and as an associate justice during the Burger Court; as the senior associate justice during the Rehnquist Court; and as the object of John Roberts’ advocacy before he became Chief Justice.
Keywords: Supreme Court, Chief Justices, Fred Vinson, Earl Warren, Warren Burger, William Rehnquist, John Roberts, Book Review
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