Making Our Democracy Work by Stephen Breyer, Paperback, 9780307390837 | Buy online at The Nile
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Making Our Democracy Work

A Judge's View

Author: Stephen Breyer   Series: Vintage

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Description

Charged with the responsibility of interpreting the Constitution, the Supreme Court has the awesome power to strike down laws enacted by our elected representatives. Why does the public accept the Court’s decisions as legitimate and follow them, even when those decisions are highly unpopular? What must the Court do to maintain the public’s faith? How can it help make our democracy work?
 
In this groundbreaking book, Justice Stephen Breyer tackles these questions and more, offering an original approach to interpreting the Constitution that judges, lawyers, and scholars will look to for many years to come.

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Critic Reviews

““Deeply thoughtful&Breyer’s goal is for the system to work, to solve problems, to improve our national life&He is building an argument for the ages&A clarion call to future generations&This is a brave book.” -Jeff Shesol, The New York Times Book Review “A sparkling and ambitious book . . . Justice Breyer takes a deep breath and delivers an eloquent exposition that seeks to clarify the court’s role in a healthy system of government.” -Ken Gormley, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “Vivid and full of surprising details . . . Breyer’s willingness to present his argument in terms that educated citizens can understand, in the hope of persuading all of us to participate actively in American democracy, exemplifies an idealism about what is possible in a democratic citizenry, and an optimism about it, that is as impressive as it is rare on the Supreme Court . . . Very admirable. -Jeffrey Rosen, The New Republic “A calm, reasoned book about how the Supreme Court should do its work and how, in history it has sometimes failed the challenge . . . A remarkable contribution to educating the public about our constitutional system.” -Anthony Lewis, New York Review of Books “A great read . . . At a moment in which most of us talk about the Constitution in tones of rage and betrayal, Breyer’s optimism, modesty, and scholarly passion are welcome change. Making Our Democracy Work is an invitation to a much more civilized and nuanced conversation about the relationship between Americans, their government, and their freedom.” -Dahlia Lithwick, Slate “An accomplished writer, Justice Breyer’s absorbing stories offer insight into how a democracy works, and sometimes fails.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review) “The most honest discussion of what a judge should do that you will ever find, all the more remarkable because it is written by a sitting Supreme Court justice.” -David Fontana, The Washington Post “A users’ guide to both the Constitution and the Supreme Court . . . You will find perhaps the best five-page description ever produced of how the Supreme Court works.” -David M. Shribman, The Boston Globe “A full account of his judicial philosophy, one that allows the federal government wide latitude in addressing society’s problems.” -Jeffrey Toobin, The New Yorker “Making Our Democracy Work extends [Breyer’s] public ruminations with what are becoming his hallmarks: wisdom, modesty, incisiveness . . . Breyer’s thoughtful book draws readers into the court.” -Jim Newton, Los Angeles Times”

“A brave book. . . . Deeply thoughtful. . . . An argument for the ages. . . . A clarion call to future generations. . . . Breyer’s goal is for the system to work, to solve problems, to improve our national life.”
The New York Times Book Review

“The most honest discussion of what a judge should do that you will ever find, all the more remarkable because it is written by a sitting Supreme Court justice.”
The Washington Post

“Breyer’s thoughtful book draws readers into the court. . . . It extends his public ruminations with what are becoming his hallmarks: wisdom, modesty, incisiveness.”
Los Angeles Times
 
“Vivid and full of surprising details. . . . Exemplifies an idealism about what is possible in a democratic citizenry, and an optimism about it, that is as impressive as it is rare on the Supreme Court. . . . Very admirable.”
The New Republic

“A calm, reasoned book about how the Supreme Court should do its work and how, in history, it has sometimes failed the challenge. . . . A remarkable contribution to educating the public about our constitutional system.”
The New York Review of Books
 
“A users’ guide to both the Constitution and the Supreme Court. . . . You will find perhaps the best five-page description ever produced of how the Supreme Court works.”
The Boston Globe
 
“In terms of showing how U.S. Supreme Court justices grapple with important issues, Breyer has made a significant contribution. . . . A perfect book for the law school graduate who wants a refresher in constitutional law—from why the court assumes the power to strike down a statute to how the court can correct itself when it makes bad decisions.”
San Francisco Chronicle
 
“A full account of [Breyer’s] judicial philosophy, one that allows the federal government wide latitude in addressing society’s problems.”
—Jeffrey Toobin, The New Yorker
 
“A great read. . . . At a moment in which most of us talk about the Constitution in tones of rage and betrayal, Breyer’s optimism, modesty, and scholarly passion are welcome change. Making Our Democracy Work is an invitation to a much more civilized and nuanced conversation about the relationship between Americans, their government, and their freedom.”
Slate
 
“A multidimensional approach to dissecting constitutional questions.”
The Philadelphia Inquirer
 
“Breyer tells us how the law works, and how it should work. . . . [Making Our Democracy Work] provides an understanding of the people who sit in judgment on our highest court, and what moves them.”
The Star-Ledger (Newark)
 
“An accomplished writer, Justice Breyer’s absorbing stories offer insight into how a democracy works, and sometimes fails.”
Publishers Weekly (starred review)

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About the Author

Stephen Breyer is an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court. He is a resident of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C.

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Product Details

Publisher
Random House USA Inc | Vintage Books
Published
13th September 2011
Pages
288
ISBN
9780307390837

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