Storm Center: The Supreme Court in American Politics

An inside look at the workings of the Supreme Court written by a top scholar and commentator.

In this engaging and illuminating narrative of the Supreme Court, David O’Brien shows students how the Court is a “storm center” of political controversy, where personality, politics, law, and justice come together to shape and often change drastically the society in which we live. Details such as how the Court decides which cases to review, the rise of individual opinions, and the expanded role of clerks are explained in lively, accessible prose.

The Ninth Edition includes new material on President Barack Obama’s appointments of Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan; Chief Justice Roberts’s role in conference and in important administrative changes within the Court; and new material from the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist's papers and from the Clinton Presidential Library.