- Book Topics
- Abe Fortas
- Richard Nixon
- Earl Warren
- Lyndon Johnson
- Supreme Court
- Supreme Court Justices
- Chief Justice
- Supreme Court nominations
- Robert Bork
- Brett Kavanaugh
- Merrick Garland
- Strom Thurmond
- Richard Russell
- Brown v. Board of Ed.
Battle For The Marble Palace
Faced with the pending resignation of Chief Justice Earl Warren, the Supreme Court’s longtime liberal kingpin, President Lyndon Johnson turned to his ally and longtime adviser Abe Fortas to become Warren’s successor. What Washington pundits believed would be a routine confirmation instead ignited a fractious war between liberals and conservatives eager to seize control of the judicial body. Michael Bobelian takes us behind closed doors to reveal the extent of the unprecedented machinations perpetrated to capture the Court, including LBJ’s removal of two justices to make room for his favorites, the Senate’s first filibuster against a Court nominee, Strom Thurmond’s airing of pornographic movies to showcase Fortas’s purported moral turpitude, and Richard Nixon who, in his zeal to win the presidency, stoked the fires of hatred and bigotry to transform the Court into a political weapon.
- Book Topics
- Abe Fortas
- Richard Nixon
- Earl Warren
- Lyndon Johnson
- Supreme Court
- Supreme Court Justices
- Chief Justice
- Supreme Court nominations
- Robert Bork
- Brett Kavanaugh
- Merrick Garland
- Strom Thurmond
- Richard Russell
- Brown v. Board of Ed.
Reviews and Comments
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I learned something I didn’t know on almost every page.
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If you don’t like what’s become of the process, a pox belongs on both political parties. This thoughtful book explains why.
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This is the origin story of our modern brand of hyper-politicized Supreme Court nomination battles. Michael Bobelian’s talents as a legal historian are matched by his storyteller’s flair.
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A gifted writer, Michael Bobelian offers a thoroughly researched narrative on the modern nomination process.
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Battle for the Marble Palace tells a very important story with fresh insight and perspective about a time when a sinkhole first developed at the busy intersection of politics and the judiciary.
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Michael Bobelian presents this history with compelling portraits. … This has been a forgotten story of the Court, and he tells it in a highly readable fashion.