Beginning with the debates over judicial power in the Constitutional Convention of 1787 to controversial rulings on slavery, racial segregation, free speech, school prayer, abortion, and gay rights, constitutional scholar Peter Irons offers a penetrating look at the highest court in the land. Here are revealing sketches of every justice from John Jay to Samuel Alito, as well as portraits of such legal giants as John Marshall, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Earl Warren, and Thurgood Marshall. Astute, provocative, and extremely accessible, A People's History of the Supreme Court illuminates and pays tribute to a system of justice that both reflects and parallels our country's remarkable legal history. The revised edition has been updated to include recent landmark cases and changes on the bench.

"The genius of the Constitution" -- "To establish a more perfect union" -- "It is a constitution we are expounding" -- "Justly and lawfully be reduced to slavery" -- "Liberty in a social organization" -- "Beyond the reach of majorities" -- "A right of personal privacy" -- "It is a cultural war" -- "A blank check for the President" -- "One of us will have a pick".