A People's History of the Supreme Court: The Men and Women Whose Cases and Decisions Have Shaped Our Constitution.

People's History of the Supreme Court by Peter Irons

This book examines the history of the Supreme Court from the perspective of the people whose legal grievances led to landmark decisions, covering 85 cases, from the Constitutional Convention in 1787 to the controversial rulings on free speech, racial segregation, abortion, and gay rights. Irons also includes the political, social, economic, and cultural factors of the time that affected these decisions.

The author provides sketches of every justice and the ordinary Americans like Dred Scott, Lillian Govitas, Norma McCorvey, and Michael Hardwick. The cases these people brought to the Court confronted the Constitution's promise that every American deserves the "blessings of liberty." Irons recounts the decisions in which the Court both honored and broke that promise, in cases that span more than two centuries.

Peter Irons is a professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego, and has written eight books on the Supreme Court and constitutional litigation.

A People's History of the Supreme Court, The Men and Women Whose Cases and Decisions Have Shaped Our Constitution (542 pages) sells for $15.95 and is published by Penguin Putnam, 212/366-2272.