Closed Chambers - by Edward Lazarus (Paperback)

About the Book

The author of "Black Hills/White Justice" offers an inside look at the most secretive institution in the American government--the Supreme Court. of photos.

Book Synopsis

When Closed Chambers was first published, it was met with a firestorm of controversy--as well as a shower of praise--for being the first book to break the code of silence about the inner workings of this country's most powerful court. In this eloquent, trailblazing account, with a new chapter covering Bush v. Gore, Guantanamo, and other recent controversial court decisions, Edward Lazarus, who served as a clerk to Justice Harry Blackmun, presents a searing indictment of a court at war with itself and often in neglect of its constitutional duties. Combining memoir, history, and legal analysis, Lazarus reveals in astonishing detail the realities of what takes place behind the closed doors of the U.S. Supreme Court--an institution that through its rulings holds the power to affect the life of every American.

From the Back Cover

"Operating within a Network of Byzantine Secrecy, The United States Supreme Court is the most powerful judicial institution in the world. Nine unelected justices are charged with protecting our most cherished rights and shaping our fundamental laws."--BOOK JACKET. "In this account, Edward Lazarus, who served as a clerk to Justice Harry Blackmun, provides an insider's guided tour of a court at war with itself and often in neglect of its constitutional duties. Combining memoir, history, and legal analysis, Lazarus weaves together past and present to reveal how law, politics, and personality collide in the Court's inner sanctum."--BOOK JACKET.

Review Quotes

"Ambitious, opinionated, scholarly, gossipy ... wonderful. Closed Chambers is a crash course in contemporary constitutional law and judicial culture." --Newsday

"Lazarus has opened a window on matters that are usually kept secret. ... [He] should be praised ... for shedding light where it is needed." --The Washington Post

"Impeccably resarched and impressibly documented ... will fascinate diehard court-watchers." --The Boston Globe

"The Court needs critics--and members--with Lazarus's intellectual clarity and deep attachment to its best traditions." --Los Angeles Times

About the Author

Edward Lazarus is the author of Black Hills, White Justice. He writes regularly for national publications including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Atlantic Monthly. A former federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, Lazarus is currently in private practice in California.