Citizens United, three other major Supreme Court cases are chronicled in new book
A new book by the National Law Journal’s chief Washington correspondent chronicles four major cases decided by the Roberts court, including the Citizens United decision finding that corporations have a First Amendment right to support political candidates with independent spending.
The book is The Roberts Court: The Struggle for the Constitution. According to USA Today, the book is “an accessible civics lesson, not only about the nation’s highest court but the process that leads up to those dramatic hours of oral argument—the plotting by plaintiffs and preparation by lawyers that goes largely untold.”
An Oregonian review says the book is “informative, insightful, clear and fair” with in-depth analysis of four cases. They are: Citizens United, the Heller decision finding a Second Amendment right to own a handgun for protection at home, the decision upholding the Obama administration’s health care law, and a decision striking down school integration plans in Seattle and Louisville, Ky.
The National Law Journal published an excerpt. Coyle told Publishers Weekly that the court does not always follow the philosophy of “judicial minimalism” espoused by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.
“I don’t think Citizens United or the school cases are examples of judicial minimalism,” she told Publishers Weekly. “The Roberts court seems to be heading quickly towards deregulating campaign finance, and the chief justice has made it clear that he looks at racial classifications with suspicion and seems to be moving towards eliminating them, be it in college affirmative action or even voting rights. There are cases where Roberts has not moved as far or fast as Justices Scalia and Thomas would have him. Still, it’s a very confident, conservative court.”
