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Scorpions
- The Battles and Triumphs of FDR's Great Supreme Court Justices
- Narrated by: Cotter Smith
- Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins
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Publisher's summary
A tiny, ebullient Jew who started as America's leading liberal and ended as its most famous judicial conservative. A Klansman who became an absolutist advocate of free speech and civil rights. A backcountry lawyer who started off trying cases about cows and went on to conduct the most important international trial ever. A self-invented, tall-tale Westerner who narrowly missed the presidency but expanded individual freedom beyond what anyone before had dreamed.
Four more different men could hardly be imagined. Yet they had certain things in common. Each was a self-made man who came from humble beginnings on the edge of poverty. Each had driving ambition and a will to succeed. Each was, in his own way, a genius. 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 these 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.
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Story
Free speech as we know it comes less from the First Amendment than from a most unexpected source: Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. A lifelong skeptic, he disdained all individual rights, including the right to express one's political views. But in 1919, it was Holmes who wrote a dissenting opinion that would become the canonical affirmation of free speech in the United States.
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How a 78 year old man can learn & change his mind
- By Jean on 09-23-13
By: Thomas Healy
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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
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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.
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Amar is a Brilliant Arguer
- By MJ Schirmer on 11-16-16
By: Akhil Reed Amar
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Impeached
- The Trial of President Andrew Johnson and the Fight for Lincoln's Legacy
- By: David O. Stewart
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 15 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1868 Congress impeached President Andrew Johnson of Tennessee, the man who had succeeded the murdered Lincoln, bringing the nation to the brink of a second civil war. Enraged to see the freed slaves abandoned to brutal violence at the hands of their former owners, distraught that former rebels threatened to regain control of Southern state governments, and disgusted by Johnson's brawling political style, congressional Republicans seized on a legal technicality as the basis for impeachment - whether Johnson had the legal right to fire his own secretary of war, Edwin Stanton.
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Highly recommended
- By Eric on 12-12-19
By: David O. Stewart
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Supreme Power
- Franklin Roosevelt vs. the Supreme Court
- By: Jeff Shesol
- Narrated by: Mel Foster
- Length: 23 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Beginning in 1935, in a series of devastating decisions, the Supreme Court's conservative majority left much of Franklin Roosevelt's agenda in ruins. The pillars of the New Deal fell in short succession. It was not just the New Deal but democracy itself that stood on trial. In February 1937, Roosevelt struck back with an audacious plan to expand the Court to fifteen justices - and to "pack" the new seats with liberals who shared his belief in a "living" Constitution.
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Excellent Book and Naration
- By Nostromo on 07-04-10
By: Jeff Shesol
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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
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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.
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Insightful and thought-provoking
- By Jean on 09-08-15
By: Linda Hirshman
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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
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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.
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Solution is a bit naive
- By Will on 08-07-16
By: Mike Lee
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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
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A comprehensive history of the people and cases that have changed history, this is the definitive account of the nation's highest court.
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Really enjoyed this book
- By Paul on 02-19-20
By: Peter Irons, and others
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The Great Decision
- Jefferson, Adams, Marshall and the Battle for the Supreme Court
- By: Cliff Sloan, David McKean
- Narrated by: Peter Jay Fernandez
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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The Great Decision tells the riveting story of Marshall and of the landmark court case, Marbury v. Madison, through which he empowered the Supreme Court and transformed the idea of the separation of powers into a working blueprint for our modern state.
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John Marshall & The Supremes
- By Cynthia on 08-13-13
By: Cliff Sloan, and others
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Woodrow Wilson
- A Biography
- By: John Milton Cooper
- Narrated by: John McDonough
- Length: 35 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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John Milton Cooper, Jr., is widely acknowledged as one of the world’s preeminent Woodrow Wilson biographers. This thoroughly researched profile of America’s 28th president is universally hailed for its scholarship and insight into the life and career ofone of the nation’s most polarizing leaders.
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On the outside looking in
- By Doris on 09-02-13
What listeners say about Scorpions
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Anthony Freyberg
- 07-03-11
History at It's Best
A highly enjoyable and memorable account featuring four of the greatest Supreme Court Justices in our history and some of the landmark cases in which they were called upon to decide. In his exceptionally well written and well narrated book, Noah Feldman paints amazing true to life portraits including the judicial philosophies and striking personalities of these complicated men and their very contentious relationships with each other.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Patrick J.
- 08-07-18
Informative
Feldman provides a view into one of the most consequential eras of the Court’s and our country’s history.
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- MarlaS
- 07-13-23
Excellent history of the Roosevelt Court
This was an excellent account of the history of the Roosevelt Court appointees Black, Frankfurter, Jackson and and Douglas and how they evolved from similar “ New Deal” advocates s to rivals and even enemies. Highly recommended.
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- A. Chalut
- 01-17-11
Scorpians: behind the scenes of the Supreme Court
This was a fantastic book. Not just for fans or those interested in the Supreme Court, but to anyone who is interested in the legal history of the United States and the Supreme Court. It is amazing how the Supreme Court works and makes critical decisions that effect the lives of the entire country. The Justices cooperate, bicker, side with others, side against each other, and at times it almost comes down to using their fists, but they struggle with the unknown consequences of their decision. A great book about how F.D.R. chose his picks for the court and the impacts they left.
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12 people found this helpful
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- Nostromo
- 11-17-11
Great Book- Well Written and Well Presented
This is a very well written and well narrated book. As has been pointed out by previous reviewers the book is narrated by Cotter Smith and not Professor Feldman. The book focuses on the lives of four of FDR's Supreme Court Justices- Jackson, Douglas, Frankfurter and Black- all of whom had a very significant impact on the history of the Supreme Court from the New Deal era to the current day. Professor Feldman does an excellent job discussing the backgrounds of the four justices and how their education, social and political experiences framed their view of jurisprudence. For readers who are very interested in the Supreme Court and how it has become so important in the modern day political era this is a great listen. I would also recommend that after listening to this volume, readers may also want to listen to Jeff Shesol's well written and narrated book "Supreme Power" which focuses on FDR's attempt to pack the Supreme Court. While the court packing scheme is discussed in Professor Feldman's book, it is justifiably given less space than in Mr. Shesol's book. I would strongly recommend both books. Great additions to the Audible Library
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2 people found this helpful
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- D. E. Curran
- 04-05-20
I will listen to Scorpions again soon,.great story
This was such an enjoyable insight into the day to day workings of some of the men who served on the Supreme Court during FDR's presidency. Great story of how decisions are reached and super narration. Both made for a really enjoyable listen.
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- Pete A Turner
- 02-23-22
A Fantastic and Thorough History
I recommend this book to anyone trying to grasp some of the SCOTUS’ history. Youll enjoy the book and find yourself going back to it as a resource repeatedly.
Enjoy
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- Charles M. Wyzanski
- 01-12-11
Narrated as admirably as it is written!
I won't attempt to review the substance of this absolutely outstanding book--for that you can find many worthy examplars at amazon.com. What I will say is that, contrary to what is stated by audible, the book is not narrated by the author (whom I have heard speak) but by someone sounding entirely different. That person, it must be said, does a fabulous job. He has a deep, authoritative, and very pleasing voice. That and the cadence and diction are just right, notwithstanding the very occasional and probably inevitable mispronounciations (as, for example, calling the Massachusetts town "STOUT-AN" and not "STOW-TON.") I simply can't recommend this audible book too highly!
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11 people found this helpful
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- Donald
- 08-03-22
The Penumbrae in Douglas's Private Life Chaos
I read history avidly, have practiced law since 1986, and at one time or another have read most of the Supreme Court cases Dr. Feldman discusses in his book. I am in the textualist/originalist camp(s) of Constitutional interpretation myself, viewing judges who "discover" things not written in the Constitution as suspect, usurping the role of Congress or the people. Dr. Feldman is of another school and I respect his opinions because they are in the open and well supported.
Dr. Feldman is a very careful and well respected scholar (google his Harvard Law School faculty bio where he teaches). He appears to believe that the proper way to interpret the Constitution is as a "living constitution." There is more nuance to his philosophy, and I may have it wrong (he is a Harvard Constitutional Law professor and I have only read this one book of his) but a "living constitution" appears to be an important part of that philosophy.
In addition, my conclusion that Dr. Feldman supports a "living constitution" is based on his seeing a great hero for new, individual Constitutional rights in William O. Douglas who pioneered the "living constitution." Which is how Douglas in Griswold v. Connecticut located privacy rights in the "penumbra" of other individual rights in the Constitution which in turn lead to and Roe v. Wade a few years later and the judicial activist approach in recent years. (Interesting discussion in the book about judicial activism circa post-Civil War which was at the other end of the pendulum.)
Chp. 33 of the book makes one wonder about the "genius" of Douglas's living constitutional views which Dr. Feldman traces to Douglas's amoral personal life. The first Justice to divorce. Serially unfaithful with many affairs. Four divorces and marrying women decades younger than himself to whom he was also unfaithful. Dr. Feldman praises Douglas's living constitution discoveries and opines that what lead Douglas there appeared to be Douglas's "breaking the bonds of his personal obligations" and the accompanying "chaos in his personal life." This is what a scholar who supports Douglas's penumbra discoveries says.
There is much much more to the book to ponder, in every chapter. The book is worth reading at least twice. Dr. Feldman makes many shrewd, thought-worthy observations about the Court in the 1930s to 1950s which lead to the Warren Court and to which the current Court is making adjustments.
Thank you Dr. Feldman for your book. Thank you for your candor in your judgments that make it easy for someone with somewhat different views to chew on, consider, reconsider, and be able to go back to and consider again. And I will, e.g. =
1) How does Brown v. Board of Education, which I support and believe is the second most important Supreme Court decision, and possibly the result of judicial activism, square with a textualist/originalist interpretation of the Constitution?
2) Is Brown in the middle of the judicial activism pendulum and therefore excused?
3) And is there a slippery slope there to avoid?
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1 person found this helpful
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- Mary
- 04-21-14
An Easy Way to Learn History
Any additional comments?
This peek into history reads like a novel and the narrator (not Noah Feldman, but Cotter Smith) does an outstanding job of drawing you into the personalities and issues of the period. While I have not quite finished this audio book, I am enjoying it immensely and congratulate Professor Feldman on his excellent work.
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