The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court Books Review

The Nine, written by journalist/legal analyst/author Jeffrey Toobin, is a riveting look inside the Rehnquist court, culminating in an examination of Bush v. Gore, one of the most controversial Supreme Court decisions in recent history.

The book opens with the conclusion of Rehnquist's reign as Chief Justice, which ended upon his death in September 2005.  The book then flashes back to examine the career paths, ideologies, and personal quirks of each of the nine justices sitting on the Supreme Court at the time of Bush v. Gore.  It explores the nominations, confirmation processes, and personal relationships that led to those justices being seated on the Court.  The book then looks at the seminal cases considered by the Rehnquist court over the years, as well as each justices' position on those cases, in order to lay a ideological foundation that explains how the Court arrived at its decision in Bush v. Gore.

Toobin writes an excellent and compelling narrative, punctuated with anecdotes about each justice.  These details, often never known to the public, humanizes a group of people that belong to the least accessible branch of government.  Toobin's writing style is engaging and makes the book an easy read, even for laymen.  As an attorney, even I find a lot of legal tomes to be cumbersome and boring, and yet with this book, I feel that Toobin has drafted something that even a person with only a passing interest in American government would enjoy.