Last branch standing : a potentially surprising, occasionally witty journey inside today's Supreme Court / Sarah Isgur.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Isgur, Sarah, 1982- Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Roberts, John G., Jr., 1955-.

Roberts, John G.

United States. Supreme Court--Officials and employees.

United States.

Judges--United States--Humor.

Judges.

Law--United States--Anecdotes.

Law.

Judges--Selection and appointment--United States.

Genre:

Law materials.

Biographies.

Anecdotes.

Physical Description:

xxv, 389 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Crown, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, [2026]

Summary:

"A myth-busting glimpse into the inner workings of the Supreme Court in the "Roberts era," revealing what we get wrong about the nine justices (and what they eat for lunch) and the right way to fix a Court in crisis-from the popular ABC news pundit and witty co-host of the top legal podcast in the US"-- Provided by publisher.

"A myth-busting glimpse into the inner workings of the Supreme Court in the "Roberts era," revealing what we get wrong about the nine justices (and what they eat for lunch) and the right way to fix a Court in crisis -- from the popular ABC news pundit and witty co-host of the top legal podcast in the US"-- Provided by publisher.

"Most people get the Supreme Court all wrong. A smattering of headline-grabbing decisions has popularized a simplistic idea of the Court and its justices. Yes, six of them were appointed by Republicans, and only three were appointed by Democrats. So how does that 6-3 majority explain why the conservative Brett Kavanaugh agreed with liberal Elena Kagan more than fellow Trump appointee Neil Gorsuch last term? Or why Justices Jackson, Sotomayor, and Kagan were all more likely to be in the majority than either Samuel Alito or Clarence Thomas the term before that? To truly appreciate today's Supreme Court, argues Sarah Isgur, you need to look beyond partisan politics -- the 'X-Axis.' The wisest court watchers apply another measuring stick, the 'Y-Axis,' where the nine justices span from order-loving institutionalists to true chaos agents. Once you appreciate these overlapping and even competing impulses, the Court begins to look a lot more like a 3-3-3 split than 6-3. The ultimate legal insider, Isgur takes readers on a myth-busting walk through Supreme Court history, showing how it is somehow both the Founding Fathers' 'third wheel' -- and the only branch of government they would be likely to recognize today. You'll learn why Chief Justice Roger B. Taney fuels the justices' nightmares and why Justice John Marshall Harlan is who they all aspire to be. Isgur also reveals what it's like to clerk at the Court and what Chief Justice Roberts does when you misbehave. ('The clerks are remined that the courtyard is not for drinking games...') Isgur even answers the age-old question: Should I go to law school? (Answer: Think twice.) Combining the irreverent humor and incisive commentary that have made Isgur's podcast a sensation, Last Branch Standing will help readers see beyond the Court's media caricature and instead view it as an institution that -- despite the chaos of Washington today -- remains a product of its history and is made up of a bunch of complicated, flawed people struggling to find the right answers to our hardest questions."--Book jacket flap.

Contents:

It's a 3-3-3 world

The life cycle of the elect

The deciders : Roberts, Kavanaugh, Barrett

The conservative honey badgers : Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch

The lonely liberals : Sotomayor, Kagan, Jackson

Oral fixation

How the peacock got its tail

The founding fathers' third wheel

Are you house of Harlan or house of Taney?

Penumbras and emanations

The second most successful political organization

When Congress goes AWOL

Confirmation wars

The nuclear option

Who gets to decide

The incredible shrinking docket

Thumbs on scales

The fan fiction of Supreme Court jurisprudence

The unbearable lightness of precedent

True threats

Court reform

Conclusion: How to stop worrying and love the court.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 363-375) and index.

Local Notes:

Athenaeum copy: Schaffer fund bookplate.

Other Format:

Online version Isgur, Sarah, 1982- Last branch standing

ISBN:

9780593800928

0593800923

OCLC:

1533181282