BOOK: David G. DALIN, Jewish Justices of the Supreme Court From Brandeis to Kagan (Lebanon (New Hampshire): Brandeis University Press, 2017). ISBN 978-1-61168-238-0, $35.00

(Source: Brandeis University Press)

Brandeis University Press has published a book on Jewish justices in the history of the US Supreme Court in 2017 which we had not yet reported on. 

ABOUT THE BOOK

The first history of the eight Jewish men and women who have served or who currently serve as justices of the Supreme Court

Jewish Justices of the Supreme Court examines the lives, legal careers, and legacies of the eight Jews who have served or who currently serve as justices of the U.S. Supreme Court: Louis D. Brandeis, Benjamin Cardozo, Felix Frankfurter, Arthur Goldberg, Abe Fortas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, and Elena Kagan.

David Dalin discusses the relationship that these Jewish justices have had with the presidents who appointed them, and given the judges’ Jewish background, investigates the antisemitism some of the justices encountered in their ascent within the legal profession before their appointment, as well as the role that antisemitism played in the attendant political debates and Senate confirmation battles.

Other topics and themes include the changing role of Jews within the American legal profession and the views and judicial opinions of each of the justices on freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the death penalty, the right to privacy, gender equality, and the rights of criminal defendants, among other issues.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Acknowledgments

• Before Brandeis: Presidents, Presidential Appointments, and America’s Jews, 1813–1912

• Louis D. Brandeis: “People’s Attorney,” Presidential Adviser, and Zionist

• Justice Brandeis: Supreme Court Nomination and Senate Confirmation Fight

• Benjamin N. Cardozo: Redeeming the Family Name

• Felix Frankfurter: City College to the New Deal

• Mr. Justice Frankfurter: The Court Years

• Arthur J. Goldberg: A Promising Tenure Cut Short

• Abe Fortas: A Tale of Achievement and Scandal

• Three Jewish Justices: Ginsburg, Breyer, and Kagan Join the Court

• Notes

• Index

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DAVID G. DALIN, a historian and rabbi, is the author, coauthor or editor of eleven books, including Religion and State in the American Jewish Experience (coauthored with Jonathan D. Sarna) and The Presidents of the United States and the Jews. His articles and book reviews have appeared in a variety of publications, including American Jewish History, Commentary, Modern Judaism, the Weekly Standard, the American Jewish Year Book, and the Jewish Review of Books.

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