Louis D. Brandeis

American Prophet

By: Jeffrey Rosen

Narrated by: Traber Burns

A riveting new examination of the leading progressive Supreme Court justice of his era.

According to Jeffrey Rosen, Louis D. Brandeis was "the Jewish Jefferson", the greatest critic of what he called "the curse of bigness" in business and government since the author of the Declaration of Independence. Published to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his Supreme Court confirmation on June 1, 1916, Louis D. Brandeis: American Prophet argues that Brandeis was the most farseeing constitutional philosopher of the 20th century. In addition to writing the most famous article on the right to privacy, he also wrote the most important Supreme Court opinions about free speech, freedom from government surveillance, and freedom of thought and opinion. And as the leader of the American Zionist movement, he convinced Woodrow Wilson and the British government to recognize a Jewish homeland in Palestine.

Combining narrative biography with a passionate argument for why Brandeis matters today, Rosen explores what Brandeis, the Jeffersonian prophet, can teach us about historic and contemporary questions involving the Constitution, monopoly, corporate and federal power, technology, privacy, free speech, and Zionism.

©2016 Jeffrey Rosen (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Wonderful

The best part about these biographies is the concise length.
You achieve it without losing the essence of what it is to write biography as history.
Between this book and the Taft book I’ve walked away with a tremendous amount of easily digestible knowledge I’d not have access to without your efforts. Actually great to listen to Taft and this book in order.
Thank you Jeff!

Good overview of Brandeis

This book gives a good overview of his philosophies and opinions. It is ideal for anyone that has an interest in U.S. law or the legal history of the United States.

A man of character and conviction.

A great deal of useful information and well managed subtext. There were a few books to choose from, I’m glad I read this one.

It runs hot and cold.

The book would have been far more interesting with greater attention to Brandeis' life and less attempts to shoehorn his decisions into Rosen's political observations on the current court.

Maybe the finest biography I have ever “read”

Wonderfully written and read. I practiced law for 45 years and read many of Brandeis’ in law school and thereafter but this work gave me a much better insight in the man and Justice than I ever had. Highly recommended!