Today's United States Supreme Court consists of nine intriguingly varied justices and one overwhelming contradiction: Compared to its revolutionary predecessor, the Rehnquist Court appears deceptively passive, yet it stands as dramatically ready to defy convention as the Warren Court of the 1950s and 60s. Now Kenneth W. Starr-who served as clerk for one chief justice, argued twenty-five cases as solicitor general before the Supreme Court, and is widely regarded as one of the nation's most distinguished practitioners of constitutional law-offers us an incisive and unprecedented look at the paradoxes, the power, and the people of the highest court in the land. In FIRST AMONG EQUALS Ken Starr traces the evolution of the Supreme Court from its beginnings, examines major Court decisions of the past three decades, and uncovers the sometimes surprising continuity between the precedent-shattering Warren Court and its successors under Burger and Rehnquist. He shows us, as no other author ever has, the very human justices who shape our law, from Sandra Day O'Connor, the Court's most pivotal-and perhaps most powerful-player, to Clarence Thomas, its most original thinker. And he explores the present Court's evolution into a lawyerly tribunal dedicated to balance and consensus on the one hand, and zealous debate on hotly contested issues of social policy on the other. * On race, the Court overturned affirmative action and held firm to an undeviating color-blind standard. * On executive privilege, the Court rebuffed three presidents, both Republican and Democrat, who fought to increase their power at the expense of rival branches of government. * On the 2000 presidential election, the Court prevented what it deemed a runaway Florida court from riding roughshod over state law-illustrating how in our system of government, the Supreme Court is truly the first among equals. Compelling and supremely readable, FIRST AMONG EQUALS sheds new light on the most frequently misunderstood legal pillar of American life.

First Among Equals: The Supreme Court in American Life

Starr, Kenneth W.

Legal History

Grand Central Publishing

- FIRST AMONG EQUALS was published in hardcover in 10/02 and met with critical acclaim.- As shown by Alan Dershowitz's "Supreme Injustice: How the High Court Hijacked Election 2000 (Oxford University Press, 2001), Robert H. Bork's "The Tempting of America (Simon and Schuster, 1997), and Bob Woodward's "The Brethren (Simon and Schuster, 1979), books about the Supreme Court frequently end up on the bestseller list.- Currently a partner at Kirkland and Ellis, a Washington, D.C., law firm, Starr served as Solicitor General, clerked for Chief Justice Warren Burger, and served as a U.S. Circuit Judge. He has been on the law school faculties of both George Mason University and New York University and has published numerous articles.

Constitutional Law

"The Starr Report: The Findings of Independent Counsel Kenneth W. Starr on President Clinton and the Lewinsky Affair"

The Starr Report: The Findings of Independent Counsel Kenneth W. Starr on President Clinton and the Lewinsky Affair

WASHINGTON POST

Business & Money

PublicAffairs

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Starr, Kenneth W.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Starr, Kenneth W.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Starr, Kenneth W.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

First Among Equals: The Supreme Court in American Life

First Among Equals: The Supreme Court in American Life

The Starr Report: The Findings of Independent Counsel Kenneth W. Starr on President Clinton and the Lewinsky Affair