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2 Works 26 Members 1 Review

Works by Bill Barnhart

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Common Knowledge

Birthdate
1946
Gender
male
Places of residence
Chicago, Illinois, USA

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John Paul Stevens An Independent Life, by Bill Barnhart and Gene Schlickman (read 28 Oct 2016) This well-written biography was published in 2010, the year that Justice Stevens retired from his seat on the U. S. Supreme Court, having served thereon for 35 years. The book does an excellent job telling of Stevens' early life and explains the crushing blow suffered by his father as a result of the Depression--something I did not know until I read this book. His years before being appointed a Federal judge are covered well, as are his years on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. He was the only Justice appointed by President Ford and the story of how he came to be appointed and confirmed is full of interest--his appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee was the last such not covered by TV and he was confirmed by a vote of 98 to 0--such a contrast to what is now involved in Supreme Court appointments. His amazing and highly interesting career on the Court is covered with insight much appreciated by a lawyer. He became increasingly liberal as he served, and wrote a most perceptive dissent in Bush v. Gore. (A bit of annoyance for me was the repeated reference to Judge Thurmond Arnold--it should be Thurman Arnold--but that is the only error I noted in the book.) The discussion of Justice Stevens' work on the Supreme Court shows careful research on the part of the authors, which is no surprise to me since I knew Gene Schlickman both at Loras College and at Georgetown Law and knew he would have a good career and that he would write a book showing able legal research.… (more)
½
 
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Schmerguls | Oct 28, 2016 |

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Works
2
Members
26
Popularity
#495,361
Rating
3.8
Reviews
1
ISBNs
3