Book recommendation on the Warren court

November 22, 2016 11:51 PM

I would like to hear about the best book that will go over the momentous court cases of the Warren Supreme Court. It doesn't need to be basic. I would prefer one that goes over each case and puts it in social and/or political context. It doesn't necessarily have to have all the verbatim decisions (the published legal opinion) but could use parts of them to illustrate. I'd like all the cases mentioned in the Wikipedia entry, every thing from Brown vs. Board of Education to the Miranda case. Thank you!
posted by Rufous-headed Towhee heehee to Law & Government (2 answers total)

This might be a bit thick, but Erwin Chemerinsky's "Constitutional Law" book covers this period pretty well. It's intended for law students, but my wife -- who is quite proudly not a lawyer -- found it useful to aid her understanding of a particular strain of Supreme Court jurisprudence that she wanted to learn more about.

The book covers a lot more than just the Warren years, but has a pretty detailed section on crucial cases from the era. It includes excerpts from the opinions as well as critical discussion that helps put them into context. That said, the book is primarily legal in nature and isn't focused on putting the decisions into the larger social context. It's a good starting point, though. I read much of it as a first-year law student and found it very readable for a legal novice.

Get it at a local legal library or find a used copy -- it's a pretty big volume.
posted by GorgeousPorridge at 4:55 AM on November 23, 2016

I can't promise it covers everything - it's been years since I read it - but I remember appreciating Justice for All: Earl Warren and the Nation He Made for this topic.
posted by bizzyb at 6:42 PM on November 23, 2016