The Rehnquist Choice: The Untold Story of the Nixon Appointment That Redefined the Supreme Court
by John W. Dean
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In 1971, William Rehnquist seemed the perfect choice to fill a seat on the United States Supreme Court. He was a young, well-polished lawyer who shared many of President Richard Nixon's philosophies and faced no major objections from the Senate. But in truth, the nomination was anything but straightforward. Now, for the first time, former White House counsel John Dean tells the improbable story of Rehnquist's appointment. Dean weaves a gripping account packed with stunning new revelations: show more of a remarkable power play by Nixon to stack the court in his favor by forcing resignations; of Rehnquist himself, who played a role in the questionable ousting of Justice Abe Fortas; and of Nixon's failed impeachment attempt against William 0. Douglas. In his initial confirmation hearings, Rehnquist provided outrageous and unbelievable responses to questions about his controversial activities in the '50s and '60s -- yet he was confirmed with little opposition. It was only later, during his confirmation as Chief Justice that his testimony would come under fire -- raising serious questions as to whether he had perjured himself. Using newly released tapes, his own papers, and documents unearthed from the National Archives, John Dean offers readers a place in the White House inner circle, providing an unprecedented look at a government process, and a stunning expose of the man who has influenced the United States Supreme Court for the last thirty years. show lessTags
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Dean's interesting (if who-knows-how-accurate) account of the process by which William Rehnquist came to be chosen for the Supreme Court.
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12+ Works 3,069 Members
John W. Dean was born in Akron, Ohio on October 14, 1938. He received a B.A. from The College of Wooster in 1961 and a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1965. He served as the White House legal counsel to President Nixon for a thousand days. He also served as chief minority counsel for the House Judiciary Committee and as an show more associate deputy attorney general in the U.S. Department of Justice. He has written numerous non-fiction books including Blind Ambition, Lost Honor, Conservatives Without Conscience, The Rehnquist Choice, Worse than Watergate, Broken Government: How Republican Rule Destroyed the Legislative, Executive and Judicial Branches, and The Nixon Defense: What He Knew and When He Knew It. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Alternate titles
- The Rehnquist Choice: The Untold Story of the Nixon Appointment That Redefined the Supreme Court
- Original publication date
- 2001
- People/Characters
- Richard M. Nixon; William H. Rehnquist
- Important places
- United States Supreme Court, Washington, D.C., USA
Classifications
- Genres
- Politics and Government, Nonfiction, History, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 347.73 — Social sciences Law Procedure and courts North America Civil procedure and courts of the United States
- LCC
- KF8745 .R44 .D43 — Law Law of the United States Law of the United States (Federal) Courts. Procedure Court organization and procedure
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 133
- Popularity
- 240,997
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.54)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 9
- ASINs
- 1
