When Justice Reigned

In a timely and provocative update, Robert Liston revisits his l966 book on the Warren Court, Tides of Justice. Nominated Chief Justice in 1953, Earl Warren, a former California Republican governor led the Supreme Court for 15 years, arguably the most important in court history.


It began with Brown v. Board in 1954, that ordered racial desegregation of the nation’s schools and led to violence still with us today. Rulings banning religious prayers in schools quickly followed. Then came decisions enlarging the legal rights of criminal defendants and orders requiring the redistricting of Congress and state legislatures according to the rule of one man one vote. The United States has not been the same since.


Liston quotes liberally from the court decisions and illuminates the controversies that resulted. His lucid style of writing enables him to navigate the shoals of legalisms in an easy-to-read fashion. The High Court has seldom been so interesting and entertaining.