Becoming Justice Blackmun

The Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist delivers "a fascinating book . . . a judicial Horatio Alger story and a tale of remarkable transformation" (The New York Times Book Review).

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year

In this acclaimed biography, Linda Greenhouse of The New York Times draws back the curtain on America's most private branch of government, the Supreme Court. Greenhouse was the first print reporter to have access to the extensive archives of Justice Harry A. Blackmun (1908–99), the man behind numerous landmark Supreme Court decisions, including Roe v. Wade.

Through the lens of Blackmun's private and public papers, Greenhouse crafts a compelling portrait of a man who, from 1970 to 1994, ruled on such controversial issues as abortion, the death penalty, and sex discrimination yet never lost sight of the human beings behind the legal cases. Greenhouse also paints the arc of Blackmun's lifelong friendship with Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, revealing how political differences became personal, even for two of the country's most respected jurists.

From America's preeminent Supreme Court reporter, this is a must-read for everyone who cares about the Court and its impact on our lives.

"Should inform anyone with an interest in the law and how the court operates . . . Blackmum, a precise writer and exacting editor, would approve." —USA Today

"Linda Greenhouse's elegant biography, a look at the professional life of the Justice in the blue Volkswagen, opens a window on the Court and on the antique notion of public service." —Garrison Keillor, New York Times–bestselling author