American Justice 2019

"Mark Joseph Stern weaves a gripping account of a hugely important Supreme Court term. Stern's deft analysis, combined with the additional context he provides to all of the cases, tell us much about the court that has emerged since Brett Kavanaugh's polarizing confirmation hearings. American Justice 2019 informs readers about the future direction of the court, the kinds of cases that might lead the Chief Justice to break from his fellow conservatives, and other emerging fissures among the Justices. It's an illuminating book." (Leah Litman, University of Michigan Law School) "In incisive and accessible prose, Mark Joseph Stern guides readers through the rollercoaster that was the Supreme Court's October 2018 Term-from the turmoil surrounding the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Court's high-profile and controversial decisions on partisan gerrymandering and the 2020 Census. Though the term started with the spotlight on Kavanaugh, it ended with Chief Justice John Roberts taking center stage. As Stern's volume shows, although Roberts is no moderate, he has clearly emerged as the new median vote in most of the Court's hot-button, headline-grabbing cases. By Stern's persuasive reckoning, the 2018 Term revealed a Court seemingly on the brink of moving sharply to the right. But it also revealed a Chief Justice whose concerns about the Court's public perception and institutional legitimacy will figure prominently in the ultimate speed and intensity of such a shift. Stern tells a story from which anyone interested in the Supreme Court will benefit." (Stephen Vladeck, University of Texas at Austin School of Law)