The Oath
The Obama White House and The Supreme Court
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $21.60
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Robertson Dean
-
By:
-
Jeffrey Toobin
About this listen
From the prizewinning author of The Nine, a gripping insider's account of the momentous ideological war between the John Roberts Supreme Court and the Obama administration.
From the moment John Roberts, the chief justice of the United States, blundered through the Oath of Office at Barack Obama's inauguration, the relationship between the Supreme Court and the White House has been confrontational. Both men are young, brilliant, charismatic, charming, determined to change the course of the nation - and completely at odds on almost every major constitutional issue. One is radical; one essentially conservative. The surprise is that Obama is the conservative - a believer in incremental change, compromise, and pragmatism over ideology. Roberts - and his allies on the Court - seek to overturn decades of precedent: in short, to undo the ultimate victory FDR achieved in the New Deal.
This ideological war will crescendo during the 2011-2012 term, in which several landmark cases are on the Court's docket - most crucially, a challenge to Obama's controversial health-care legislation. With four new justices joining the Court in just five years, including Obama's appointees Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, this is a dramatically - and historically - different Supreme Court, playing for the highest of stakes.
No one is better positioned to chronicle this dramatic tale than Jeffrey Toobin, whose prize-winning best seller The Nine laid bare the inner workings and conflicts of the Court in meticulous and entertaining detail. As the nation prepares to vote for President in 2012, the future of the Supreme Court will also be on the ballot.
©2012 Jeffrey Toobin (P)2012 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Nine
- Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court
- By: Jeffrey Toobin
- Narrated by: Don Leslie
- Length: 15 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Based on exclusive interviews with justices themselves, The Nine tells the story of the Supreme Court through personalities, from Anthony Kennedy's overwhelming sense of self-importance to Clarence Thomas' well-tended grievances against his critics to David Souter's odd 19th century lifestyle. There is also, for the first time, the full behind-the-scenes story of Bush v. Gore and Sandra Day O'Connor's fateful breach with George W. Bush, the president she helped place in office.
-
-
The Nine
- By Dc on 10-04-07
By: Jeffrey Toobin
-
The Brethren
- Inside the Supreme Court
- By: Bob Woodward, Scott Armstrong
- Narrated by: Holter Graham
- Length: 20 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Brethren is the first detailed behind-the-scenes account of the Supreme Court in action. Bob Woodward and Scott Armstrong have pierced its secrecy to give us an unprecedented view of the Chief and Associate Justices - maneuvering, arguing, politicking, compromising, and making decisions that affect every major area of American life.
-
-
Amazing
- By Andy on 03-28-19
By: Bob Woodward, and others
-
Nine Black Robes
- Inside the Supreme Court's Drive to the Right and Its Historic Consequences
- By: Joan Biskupic
- Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
- Length: 13 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
CNN Senior Supreme Court Analyst Joan Biskupic provides an urgent and inside look at the history-making era in the Supreme Court during the Trump and post-Trump years, from its seismic shift to the Right to its controversial decisions, including its reversal of Roe v. Wade, based on access to all the key players.
-
-
Another 3 star effort from Biskupic
- By Richard Spitaleri Jr. on 04-16-23
By: Joan Biskupic
-
Prequel
- An American Fight Against Fascism
- By: Rachel Maddow
- Narrated by: Rachel Maddow
- Length: 13 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Inspired by her research for the hit podcast Ultra, Rachel Maddow charts the rise of a wild American strain of authoritarianism that has been alive on the far-right edge of our politics for the better part of a century. Before and even after our troops had begun fighting abroad in World War II, a clandestine network flooded the country with disinformation aimed at sapping the strength of the U.S. war effort and persuading Americans that our natural alliance was with the Axis, not against it.
-
-
The fight to keep democracy alive
- By Rex on 10-19-23
By: Rachel Maddow
-
The Supermajority
- How the Supreme Court Divided America
- By: Michael Waldman
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean, Michael Waldman - introduction
- Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Supermajority, Michael Waldman explores the tumultuous 2021–2022 Supreme Court term. He draws deeply on history to examine other times the Court veered from the popular will, provoking controversy, and backlash. And he analyzes the most important new rulings and their implications for the law and for American society. Waldman asks: What can we do when the Supreme Court challenges the country?
-
-
This should be a serialized media presentation, for the return of some normalization of the Supreme Court.
- By Elaine on 06-08-23
By: Michael Waldman
-
Too Close to Call
- The Thirty-Six-Day Battle to Decide the 2000 Election
- By: Jeffrey Toobin
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the best-selling author of A Vast Conspiracy and The Run of His Life comes Too Close to Call - the definitive story of the Bush-Gore presidential recount. A political and legal analyst of unparalleled journalistic skill, Jeffrey Toobin is the ideal writer to distill the events of the 36 anxiety-filled days that culminated in one of the most stunning Supreme Court decisions in history.
-
-
Wow......
- By Micah M. on 06-02-17
By: Jeffrey Toobin
-
The Nine
- Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court
- By: Jeffrey Toobin
- Narrated by: Don Leslie
- Length: 15 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Based on exclusive interviews with justices themselves, The Nine tells the story of the Supreme Court through personalities, from Anthony Kennedy's overwhelming sense of self-importance to Clarence Thomas' well-tended grievances against his critics to David Souter's odd 19th century lifestyle. There is also, for the first time, the full behind-the-scenes story of Bush v. Gore and Sandra Day O'Connor's fateful breach with George W. Bush, the president she helped place in office.
-
-
The Nine
- By Dc on 10-04-07
By: Jeffrey Toobin
-
The Brethren
- Inside the Supreme Court
- By: Bob Woodward, Scott Armstrong
- Narrated by: Holter Graham
- Length: 20 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Brethren is the first detailed behind-the-scenes account of the Supreme Court in action. Bob Woodward and Scott Armstrong have pierced its secrecy to give us an unprecedented view of the Chief and Associate Justices - maneuvering, arguing, politicking, compromising, and making decisions that affect every major area of American life.
-
-
Amazing
- By Andy on 03-28-19
By: Bob Woodward, and others
-
Nine Black Robes
- Inside the Supreme Court's Drive to the Right and Its Historic Consequences
- By: Joan Biskupic
- Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
- Length: 13 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
CNN Senior Supreme Court Analyst Joan Biskupic provides an urgent and inside look at the history-making era in the Supreme Court during the Trump and post-Trump years, from its seismic shift to the Right to its controversial decisions, including its reversal of Roe v. Wade, based on access to all the key players.
-
-
Another 3 star effort from Biskupic
- By Richard Spitaleri Jr. on 04-16-23
By: Joan Biskupic
-
Prequel
- An American Fight Against Fascism
- By: Rachel Maddow
- Narrated by: Rachel Maddow
- Length: 13 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Inspired by her research for the hit podcast Ultra, Rachel Maddow charts the rise of a wild American strain of authoritarianism that has been alive on the far-right edge of our politics for the better part of a century. Before and even after our troops had begun fighting abroad in World War II, a clandestine network flooded the country with disinformation aimed at sapping the strength of the U.S. war effort and persuading Americans that our natural alliance was with the Axis, not against it.
-
-
The fight to keep democracy alive
- By Rex on 10-19-23
By: Rachel Maddow
-
The Supermajority
- How the Supreme Court Divided America
- By: Michael Waldman
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean, Michael Waldman - introduction
- Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Supermajority, Michael Waldman explores the tumultuous 2021–2022 Supreme Court term. He draws deeply on history to examine other times the Court veered from the popular will, provoking controversy, and backlash. And he analyzes the most important new rulings and their implications for the law and for American society. Waldman asks: What can we do when the Supreme Court challenges the country?
-
-
This should be a serialized media presentation, for the return of some normalization of the Supreme Court.
- By Elaine on 06-08-23
By: Michael Waldman
-
Too Close to Call
- The Thirty-Six-Day Battle to Decide the 2000 Election
- By: Jeffrey Toobin
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the best-selling author of A Vast Conspiracy and The Run of His Life comes Too Close to Call - the definitive story of the Bush-Gore presidential recount. A political and legal analyst of unparalleled journalistic skill, Jeffrey Toobin is the ideal writer to distill the events of the 36 anxiety-filled days that culminated in one of the most stunning Supreme Court decisions in history.
-
-
Wow......
- By Micah M. on 06-02-17
By: Jeffrey Toobin
-
True Crimes and Misdemeanors
- The Investigation of Donald Trump
- By: Jeffrey Toobin
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 18 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Donald Trump's campaign chairman went to jail. So did his personal lawyer. His long-time political consigliere was convicted of serious federal crimes, and his national security advisor pled guilty to others. Career intelligence agents and military officers were alarmed enough by the president's actions that they alerted senior government officials and ignited the impeachment process. Yet despite all this, a years-long inquiry led by special counsel Robert Mueller, and the third impeachment of a president in American history, Donald Trump survived to run for re-election. Why?
-
-
More than just a bit misleading.
- By Tim Sharp on 08-14-20
By: Jeffrey Toobin
-
Homegrown
- Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Right-Wing Extremism
- By: Jeffrey Toobin
- Narrated by: Jeffrey Toobin
- Length: 14 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Timothy McVeigh wanted to start a movement. Speaking to his lawyers days after the Oklahoma City bombing, the Gulf War veteran expressed no regrets: killing 168 people was his patriotic duty. New York Times bestselling author Jeffrey Toobin traces the dramatic history and profound legacy of Timothy McVeigh, who once declared, “I believe there is an army out there, ready to rise up, even though I never found it.” But that doesn’t mean his army wasn’t there. With news-breaking reportage, Toobin details how McVeigh’s principles and tactics have flourished in the decades since his death in 2001.
-
-
Not a great book I’m sorry to say
- By H. Winslow on 05-10-23
By: Jeffrey Toobin
-
The Shadow Docket
- How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic
- By: Stephen Vladeck
- Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Supreme Court has always had the authority to issue emergency rulings in exceptional circumstances. But since 2017, the Court has dramatically expanded its use of the behind-the-scenes “shadow docket,” regularly making decisions that affect millions of Americans without public hearings and without explanation, through cryptic late-night rulings that leave lawyers—and citizens—scrambling. But Americans of all political stripes should be worried about what the shadow docket portends for the rule of law, argues Supreme Court expert Stephen Vladeck.
-
-
Where was Vladeck?
- By SorenKMiller on 05-25-23
By: Stephen Vladeck
-
Justice on the Brink
- A Requiem for the Supreme Court
- By: Linda Greenhouse
- Narrated by: Beth Hicks
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Justice on the Brink, legendary journalist Linda Greenhouse gives us unique insight into a court under stress, providing the context and brilliant analysis readers of her work in The New York Times have come to expect. In a thrilling narrative, she recounts the twelve months when the court turned its back on its legacy and traditions, abandoning any effort to stay above and separate from politics.
-
-
A Must Read, Then A Must Act.
- By Brad and Janean on 11-29-21
By: Linda Greenhouse
-
Scorpions
- The Battles and Triumphs of FDR's Great Supreme Court Justices
- By: Noah Feldman
- Narrated by: Cotter Smith
- Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
They began as close allies and friends of FDR, but the quest to shape a new Constitution led them to competition and sometimes outright warfare. Scorpions tells the story of four great justices: their relationship with Roosevelt, with each other, and with the turbulent world of the Great Depression, World War II, and the Cold War. It also serves as a history of the modern Constitution itself.
-
-
A MOST HONOURABLE SWANSONG
- By Dudley H. Williams on 05-27-12
By: Noah Feldman
-
The Chief
- The Life and Turbulent Times of Chief Justice John Roberts
- By: Joan Biskupic
- Narrated by: Jennywren Walker
- Length: 14 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An incisive biography of the Supreme Court's enigmatic chief justice, taking us inside the momentous legal decisions of his tenure so far.
-
-
Hard to concentrate on, because of author's bias
- By Adam Johanson on 06-24-19
By: Joan Biskupic
-
People vs. Donald Trump
- An Inside Account
- By: Mark Pomerantz
- Narrated by: Mark Pomerantz
- Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
People vs. Donald Trump is a fascinating inside account of the attempt to prosecute former president Donald Trump, written by one of the lawyers who worked on the case and resigned in protest when Manhattan’s district attorney refused to act.
-
-
Bravo - Easy to Understand
- By Trisha on 02-09-23
By: Mark Pomerantz
-
The Divider
- Trump in the White House, 2017-2021
- By: Peter Baker, Susan Glasser
- Narrated by: Michael Quinlan
- Length: 28 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The inside story of the four years when Donald Trump went to war with Washington, from the chaotic beginning to the violent finale, told by revered journalists Peter Baker of The New York Times and Susan Glasser of The New Yorker—an ambitious and lasting history of the full Trump presidency that also contains dozens of exclusive scoops and stories from behind the scenes in the White House, from the absurd to the deadly serious.
-
-
An expertly guided tour through history.
- By Cocoabelle on 09-24-22
By: Peter Baker, and others
-
The Most Dangerous Branch
- Inside the Supreme Court's Assault on the Constitution
- By: David A. Kaplan
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 16 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy, the Court has never before been more central in American life. It is the nine justices who too often now decide the controversial issues of our time—from abortion and same-sex marriage, to gun control, campaign finance and voting rights.
-
-
Thought provoking!
- By carol utsunomiya on 02-25-19
By: David A. Kaplan
-
Sedition Hunters
- How January 6th Broke the Justice System
- By: Ryan J. Reilly
- Narrated by: Ryan J. Reilly
- Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The January 6th attack is an unprecedented crime in American history. Sprawling and openly political, it can't be handled by the traditional rules and norms of law enforcement—threatening the very idea of justice and its role in society. A mass of online tipsters—"sedition hunters"—have mobilized, simultaneously providing the FBI with valuable intelligence. In this work of extraordinary reportage, Ryan Reilly gets to know would-be revolutionaries, obsessive online sleuths, and FBI agents, and shines a light on a justice system that's straining to maintain order in our polarized country.
-
-
Lost Opportunity
- By JenMarie66 on 10-21-23
By: Ryan J. Reilly
-
The Bully Pulpit
- Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism
- By: Doris Kearns Goodwin
- Narrated by: Edward Herrmann
- Length: 36 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Goodwin describes the broken friendship between Teddy Roosevelt and his chosen successor, William Howard Taft. With the help of the "muckraking" press, Roosevelt had wielded the Bully Pulpit to challenge and triumph over abusive monopolies, political bosses, and corrupting money brokers. Roosevelt led a revolution that he bequeathed to Taft only to see it compromised as Taft surrendered to money men and big business. The rupture led Roosevelt to run against Taft for president, an ultimately futile race that gave power away to the Democrats.
-
-
Makes You Forget You Live in the 21st Century Good
- By Cynthia on 01-11-14
-
Sisters in Law
- How Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Went to the Supreme Court and Changed the World
- By: Linda Hirshman
- Narrated by: Andrea Gallo
- Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The author of the celebrated Victory tells the fascinating story of the intertwined lives of Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the first and second women to serve as Supreme Court justices.
-
-
Insightful and thought-provoking
- By Jean on 09-08-15
By: Linda Hirshman
Related to this topic
-
Scorpions
- The Battles and Triumphs of FDR's Great Supreme Court Justices
- By: Noah Feldman
- Narrated by: Cotter Smith
- Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
They began as close allies and friends of FDR, but the quest to shape a new Constitution led them to competition and sometimes outright warfare. Scorpions tells the story of four great justices: their relationship with Roosevelt, with each other, and with the turbulent world of the Great Depression, World War II, and the Cold War. It also serves as a history of the modern Constitution itself.
-
-
A MOST HONOURABLE SWANSONG
- By Dudley H. Williams on 05-27-12
By: Noah Feldman
-
Sisters in Law
- How Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Went to the Supreme Court and Changed the World
- By: Linda Hirshman
- Narrated by: Andrea Gallo
- Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The author of the celebrated Victory tells the fascinating story of the intertwined lives of Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the first and second women to serve as Supreme Court justices.
-
-
Insightful and thought-provoking
- By Jean on 09-08-15
By: Linda Hirshman
-
My Own Words
- By: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Mary Hartnett, Wendy W. Williams
- Narrated by: Linda Lavin
- Length: 13 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The first book from Ruth Bader Ginsburg since becoming a Supreme Court Justice in 1993 - a witty, engaging, serious, and playful collection of writings and speeches from the woman who has had a powerful and enduring influence on law, women's rights, and popular culture. My Own Words is a selection of writings and speeches by Justice Ginsburg on wide-ranging topics, including gender equality, the workways of the Supreme Court, being Jewish, law and lawyers in opera, and more.
-
-
Spectacularly Dry
- By CMP on 07-27-18
By: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and others
-
The Constitution Today
- Timeless Lessons for the Issues of Our Era
- By: Akhil Reed Amar
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 19 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the stories that lead our daily news involve momentous constitutional questions, present-minded journalists and busy citizens cannot always see the stakes clearly. In The Constitution Today, Akhil Reed Amar, America's preeminent constitutional scholar, considers the biggest and most bitterly contested debates of the last two decades. He shows how the Constitution's text, history, and structure are a crucial repository of collective wisdom, providing specific rules and grand themes relevant to every organ of the American body politic.
-
-
Amar is a Brilliant Arguer
- By MJ Schirmer on 11-16-16
By: Akhil Reed Amar
-
Broken Government
- How Republican Rule Destroyed the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches
- By: John W. Dean
- Narrated by: Paul Michael
- Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In his eighth book, Dean takes the broadest and deepest view yet of the dysfunctional chaos and institutional damage that the Republican Party and its core conservatives have inflicted on the federal government. He assesses the state of all three branches of government, tracing their decline through the presidencies of Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush I, and Bush II.
-
-
Attention Policy Wonks - This is the book for you
- By Neal on 09-19-09
By: John W. Dean
-
The Majesty of the Law
- Reflections of a Supreme Court Justice
- By: Sandra Day O'Connor
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
- Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this remarkable book, Sandra Day O’Connor explores the law, her life as a Supreme Court Justice, and how the Court has evolved and continues to function, grow, and change as an American institution. Tracing some of the origins of American law through history, people, ideas, and landmark cases, O’Connor sheds new light on the basics, exploring through personal observation the evolution of the Court and American democratic traditions.
-
-
Informative and well-written
- By James on 07-11-05
-
Scorpions
- The Battles and Triumphs of FDR's Great Supreme Court Justices
- By: Noah Feldman
- Narrated by: Cotter Smith
- Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
They began as close allies and friends of FDR, but the quest to shape a new Constitution led them to competition and sometimes outright warfare. Scorpions tells the story of four great justices: their relationship with Roosevelt, with each other, and with the turbulent world of the Great Depression, World War II, and the Cold War. It also serves as a history of the modern Constitution itself.
-
-
A MOST HONOURABLE SWANSONG
- By Dudley H. Williams on 05-27-12
By: Noah Feldman
-
Sisters in Law
- How Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Went to the Supreme Court and Changed the World
- By: Linda Hirshman
- Narrated by: Andrea Gallo
- Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The author of the celebrated Victory tells the fascinating story of the intertwined lives of Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the first and second women to serve as Supreme Court justices.
-
-
Insightful and thought-provoking
- By Jean on 09-08-15
By: Linda Hirshman
-
My Own Words
- By: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Mary Hartnett, Wendy W. Williams
- Narrated by: Linda Lavin
- Length: 13 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The first book from Ruth Bader Ginsburg since becoming a Supreme Court Justice in 1993 - a witty, engaging, serious, and playful collection of writings and speeches from the woman who has had a powerful and enduring influence on law, women's rights, and popular culture. My Own Words is a selection of writings and speeches by Justice Ginsburg on wide-ranging topics, including gender equality, the workways of the Supreme Court, being Jewish, law and lawyers in opera, and more.
-
-
Spectacularly Dry
- By CMP on 07-27-18
By: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and others
-
The Constitution Today
- Timeless Lessons for the Issues of Our Era
- By: Akhil Reed Amar
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 19 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the stories that lead our daily news involve momentous constitutional questions, present-minded journalists and busy citizens cannot always see the stakes clearly. In The Constitution Today, Akhil Reed Amar, America's preeminent constitutional scholar, considers the biggest and most bitterly contested debates of the last two decades. He shows how the Constitution's text, history, and structure are a crucial repository of collective wisdom, providing specific rules and grand themes relevant to every organ of the American body politic.
-
-
Amar is a Brilliant Arguer
- By MJ Schirmer on 11-16-16
By: Akhil Reed Amar
-
Broken Government
- How Republican Rule Destroyed the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches
- By: John W. Dean
- Narrated by: Paul Michael
- Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In his eighth book, Dean takes the broadest and deepest view yet of the dysfunctional chaos and institutional damage that the Republican Party and its core conservatives have inflicted on the federal government. He assesses the state of all three branches of government, tracing their decline through the presidencies of Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush I, and Bush II.
-
-
Attention Policy Wonks - This is the book for you
- By Neal on 09-19-09
By: John W. Dean
-
The Majesty of the Law
- Reflections of a Supreme Court Justice
- By: Sandra Day O'Connor
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
- Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this remarkable book, Sandra Day O’Connor explores the law, her life as a Supreme Court Justice, and how the Court has evolved and continues to function, grow, and change as an American institution. Tracing some of the origins of American law through history, people, ideas, and landmark cases, O’Connor sheds new light on the basics, exploring through personal observation the evolution of the Court and American democratic traditions.
-
-
Informative and well-written
- By James on 07-11-05
-
Our Lost Constitution
- The Willful Subversion of America's Founding Document
- By: Mike Lee
- Narrated by: Mike Lee, Tom Parks
- Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Senator Mike Lee tells the dramatic, little-known stories behind six of the Constitution's most indispensable provisions. He shows their rise. He shows their fall. And he makes vividly clear how nearly every abuse of federal power today is rooted in neglect of this Lost Constitution.
-
-
Solution is a bit naive
- By Will on 08-07-16
By: Mike Lee
-
Louis D. Brandeis
- A Life
- By: Melvin I Urofsky
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 35 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The first full-scale biography in 25 years of one of the most important and distinguished justices to sit on the Supreme Court - an audiobook that reveals Louis D. Brandeis the reformer, lawyer, and jurist, and Brandeis the man, in all of his complexity, passion, and wit. As a lawyer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, he pioneered how modern law is practiced.
-
-
a Listen to Louis D. Brandeis
- By J on 07-11-10
By: Melvin I Urofsky
-
Supreme Disorder
- Judicial Nominations and the Politics of America's Highest Court
- By: Ilya Shapiro
- Narrated by: Fred Stella
- Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The brutal confirmation battles we saw over Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh are symptoms of a larger problem with our third branch of government, a problem that began long before Kavanaugh, Merrick Garland, Clarence Thomas, or even Robert Bork: the courts’ own self-corruption, aiding and abetting the expansion of federal power.
-
-
Tremendous detail
- By Charles on 07-15-22
By: Ilya Shapiro
-
The Supreme Court
- By: William H. Rehnquist
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Chief Justice Rehnquist's engaging writing illuminates both the high and low points in the Court's history, from Chief Justice Marshall's dominance of the Court during the early 19th century through the landmark decisions of the Warren Court. Citing cases such as the Dred Scott decision and Roosevelt's Court-packing plan, Rehnquist makes clear that the Court does not operate in a vacuum, that the justices are unavoidably influenced by their surroundings, and that their decisions have real and lasting impacts on our society.
-
-
Absorbing
- By Jean on 01-28-18
-
A People's History of the Supreme Court
- The Men and Women Whose Cases and Decisions Have Shaped Our Constitution
- By: Peter Irons, Howard Zinn - foreword
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 28 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A comprehensive history of the people and cases that have changed history, this is the definitive account of the nation's highest court.
-
-
Really enjoyed this book
- By Paul on 02-19-20
By: Peter Irons, and others
-
The Supreme Court
- The Personalities and Rivalries That Defined America
- By: Jeffrey Rosen
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A leading Supreme Court expert recounts the personal and philosophical rivalries that forged our nation's highest court and continue to shape our daily lives. The Supreme Court is the most mysterious branch of government, and yet the Court is at root a human institution, made up of very bright people with very strong egos, for whom political and judicial conflicts often become personal.
-
-
Overruled!
- By Stephen McLeod on 08-23-08
By: Jeffrey Rosen
-
The Brethren
- Inside the Supreme Court
- By: Bob Woodward, Scott Armstrong
- Narrated by: Holter Graham
- Length: 20 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Brethren is the first detailed behind-the-scenes account of the Supreme Court in action. Bob Woodward and Scott Armstrong have pierced its secrecy to give us an unprecedented view of the Chief and Associate Justices - maneuvering, arguing, politicking, compromising, and making decisions that affect every major area of American life.
-
-
Amazing
- By Andy on 03-28-19
By: Bob Woodward, and others
-
One Vote Away
- How a Single Supreme Court Seat Can Change History
- By: Ted Cruz
- Narrated by: Timothy Andrés Pabon
- Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In One Vote Away, you will discover how often the high court decisions that affect your life have been decided by just one vote. One vote preserves your right to speak freely, to bear arms, and to exercise your faith. One vote will determine whether your children enjoy their full inheritance as American citizens.
-
-
Intellectual and Insightful, so smartly written it became prophetic!
- By Kevin D. on 09-29-20
By: Ted Cruz
-
Forcing the Spring
- Inside the Fight for Marriage Equality
- By: Jo Becker
- Narrated by: Jamie Leonhart
- Length: 14 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A tour de force of groundbreaking reportage by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jo Becker, Forcing the Spring follows the historic legal challenge mounted against California’s ban on same-sex marriage, a remarkable lawsuit that forced the issue of marriage equality before the highest court in the land. For nearly five years Becker embedded with the lawsuit’s plaintiffs, was given free rein within the legal and political war rooms where strategy was plotted, and attended every day of the trial and every appellate argument.
-
-
A stirring courtroom drama
- By David on 05-19-14
By: Jo Becker
-
The Supremes' Greatest Hits, 2nd Revised & Updated Edition
- The 44 Supreme Court Cases That Most Directly Affect Your Life
- By: Michael G. Trachtman
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Supreme Court's rulings have shaped American life and justice and allowed Americans to retain basic freedoms such as privacy, free speech, and the right to a fair trial. This revised and updated edition of Michael G. Trachtman's riveting work includes 10 important cases from 2010 to 2015.
-
-
Nice review overall.
- By "freeindeed4ever" on 02-10-20
-
Confirmation Bias
- Inside Washington's War Over the Supreme Court, from Scalia's Death to Justice Kavanaugh
- By: Carl Hulse
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Chief Washington Correspondent for the New York Times presents a richly detailed, news-breaking, and conversation-changing look at the unprecedented political fight to fill the Supreme Court seat made vacant by Antonin Scalia’s death - using it to explain the paralyzing and all but irreversible dysfunction across all three branches in the nation’s capital.
-
-
Bias is right
- By Shelle Houser on 07-07-19
By: Carl Hulse
-
The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Presidents
- From Wilson to Obama
- By: Steven F. Hayward
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Academics, journalists, and popular historians agree: our greatest presidents are the ones who confronted a national crisis and mobilized the entire nation to face it. That’s the conventional wisdom. The chief executives who are celebrated in textbooks and placed in the top echelon of presidents in surveys of experts are the bold leaders - the Woodrow Wilsons and Franklin Roosevelts - who reshaped the United States in line with their grand “vision” for America. Unfortunately, along the way, these “great” presidents inevitably expanded government - and shrank our liberties.
-
-
Really enjoyed it
- By Jkc-007 on 02-15-17
What listeners say about The Oath
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- david
- 12-03-12
biased
What did you like best about The Oath? What did you like least?
It was well written as I thought it would be.
What aspect of Robertson Dean’s performance would you have changed?
He did quite well
Was The Oath worth the listening time?
Only if you buy most everything the political left spouts. Both side of the political arguement have points. The problem is when the press, or books only want to examine things thru their eyes and with facts contured to fit their way of thinking. A really good writer should leave you wondering what side the writer is really on. Toobin went in to extreme detail to explain the right movements of the court. The left barely got mentioned with little real details.The Constition was written to specify, and limit Government power and reach. Most every court fight is about that power. All forms of Government take power they have no right to, and never give it up. To be worth the money I spent, I would rather have not have it constantly thown in my face, what side of the arguement Toobin is on.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Michelle
- 11-01-20
Some repetitiveness
Repeat from the nine with some important updates. Interesting to learn how long the Republicans have been working to undermine the integrity of this branch of government.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Tim
- 03-08-13
Good listen, not great, but good.
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes if they're into politics.
Who was your favorite character and why?
I think Roberts is the most complex. I wouldn't say favorite.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Bobby
- 11-05-12
Compelling
Well written, expertly read. Granted, it comes across as partisan and favors personal over corporate interests, but the information and background give you a real sense of how important the court is to our everyday lives. I now look at the makeup of the court and its cases as an unfolding drama.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jean
- 06-07-14
A look at the Supreme Court
Toobin a lawyer and legal reporter based this book on interviews with the Justices and approximately forty of their law clerks. The book is a narrative of the early years of the Roberts Court which produced a series of 5 to 4 decisions that pitted the Obama administration against the conservative Justices. The book ends with the tie breaking vote to uphold The Affordable Care Act. Toobin reveals the goal of the conservative Justices in rolling back laws on gun rights, abortion, gender discrimination, campaign finance and so on. The Republican Party has controlled the Court since 1953. Toobin looks at how the current makeup of the Court reflects changes in the current Republican party at large, underscoring the fallout created by the departure of the moderate Republican Justices. The most enjoyable part of the book is the human details about the Justices. The book provides a brief biography of each of the justices that has served on the Robert Court. I recently read “The Roberts Court” by Marcia Coyle which covered the same time frame. Coyle went into detail about the cases and the law, Toobin proves more information about the Justice personal life and beliefs than does Coyle. Reading both books provided me with a better understanding of the current court than reading just one of the books. Toobin’s thesis is what he calls the competing visions of Roberts and Obama. Both are intelligent, both products of Chicago, both graduated of Harvard Law School but they have a different view of the meaning of the Constitution. Obama believes the Court should be stable and make gradually changes. Roberts believes in rapid changes to the conservative ideals. I found it interesting that Toobin credits Justice Thomas as the father of the Tea Party. Toobin points out that the Republican Party has made it a priority to put its people into judgeship in all categories of State and Federal courts. Obama has been negligent in appointing Federal Judges. Toobin states a Republican Senator complained “how are we supposed to block appointments if Obama does not appoint them.” Robertson Dean did a good job narrating the book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
10 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Rasmus
- 03-06-16
Recommended reading during the Supreme Court vacancy
Toobin's dislike of the now late Antonin Scalia is clear (and perhaps understandable, especially given the authors own legal background), but the book gives you a thorough look into both the liberal and conservative chambers of the court. Toobin does an admirable job of translating legalese. Robertson Dean's narration is as always great (listen to The Forever War by Dexter Filkins when you start missing his voice).
Highly recommended, especially during the current Supreme Court vacancy.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- xiaochuan Jiang
- 12-07-17
Very impressive!
One of the best book I have ever read, including lots of details that you can't found in other place.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kindle Customer
- 12-31-12
Excellent Update on US Supreme Court
This is the second book I have read by Toobin about the SC. Although I was interested in the subject, I feared a book about this subject by a lawyer would be dull and boring.
To the contrary, Toobin writes in a very compelling style, so one ends up reading this book with the obsession, desperate to know what happens next, of one reading a thriller one cannot put down all night.
I especially love a book where I really have an enjoyable experience and at the same time I have the thrill of learning something new, as well as exciting.
So I highly recommend this book to the every man or woman as a wonderful way to update your knowledge of the current goings on at our Supreme Court, particularly in light of Robert's ruling which found the Affordable Care Act (aka Obama Care) to be Constitutional.
You will also learn a history of theories of law held by various justices going back to Marshall leading to the new, current radical right view of Contextual-ism which has been used by political forces to try to undo Constitutional interpretations that underpin the Square Deal, and especially the New Deal of FDR and further Progressive legislation and SC Rulings of the 20th century, for example, Roe v. Wade, civil and voting rights. This is a radical right court influenced by new Republican conservatism where Republican Presidents have succeeded in getting a majority (hence 5 to 4 rulings) to work toward their agenda. Especially controversial votes by this court were to make George W Bush president in 2000, and in Citizens United to allow unlimited money to be used in campaigns coming from rich, even foreign interests, here because of the growing business desire for Globalization and free, unregulated, non taxed trade to every corner of the world.
Read beautifully by Toobin himself!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- M. Hunt
- 03-26-16
Good but felt like there was some repeat from The Nine
I enjoyed the historical details and the interpersonal relationships on the court. My only complaint was that parts felt like a repeat of Toobin's The Nine. Overall I enjoyed it and learned a few things.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Chet Loesing
- 04-13-15
Great book, sleepy narrator
Great book. The intro read by the author was good and memorable. The narrator for the rest of the book was a little monotone for my taste. When the book stated I didn't think I'd listen to the whole book but the writing and story made up for any other lacking parts.
Great insights and stories into the court. Was fun to hear about the two new Justices since Toobins' last book.
Not as much info on the relationship between the court and Obama as the title suggests. I'd say it's more of a book about the court than of that relationship.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful