Jo V. (jovan) reviewed Almost even-handed on 12/10/2008 + 301 more book reviews

The author tries to be even-handed and, for the most part, succeeds. In the part that doesn't, his liberal bias is evident. The book is a revealing look at how the Supreme Court of United State functions. For my taste, it spent too much time on the Renquist court. Less focus on that would have still given an adequate view of the justices. He does put the spotlight on each judge individually, which I appreciated, giving a good feel for each judge's philosophy and proclivities. As a result, in spite of his obvious approval of Justice O'Connor, I have lost a lot of respect for her and her obvious whichever-way-the-popular-wind-blows judicial non-philosophy. He bashes, subtly and not-so-subtly, Justice Scalia, but even the author had to give grudging respect when he wrote:
"Scalia chided Robers for failing to administer the coup de grace to the earlier ruling. 'This faux judicial restraint is judicial obfuscation.'
"Scalia has a point. Robers had engaged in the pretense of minimalism...without actually doing so."

Yea, Scalia!

Overall a good book and worth reading, especially if the reader is capable of critical thinking.

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