The Hidden History of the Supreme Court and the Betrayal of America (The Thom Hartmann Hidden History Series)

This an abfab history of SCOTUS. It explains its beginnings, its corruptions, and its modern-day influences on our middle-class daily life. This is no whitewash look at SCOTUS but rather a look under the robes these political appointies wear as they destroy the very unpinnings of our democracy. I now look at these appointies as viscious lap dogs of the Uber wealthy in our nation. This is not dry reading. It is a page turner and will make you keep your highlighter next to you while you read. READ THIS BOOK! PLEASE.

I had no idea of this history, which is fascinating and appalling. It doesn't take much to de-rail democracy, and we all need to know how and why and when - and who. It's also well written and easy to follow. I'm grateful for it.

Expertly researched eye-popping review of how the Supreme Court has, since its very beginning, been the arm of the GOP to the detriment of the people of the U.S.

A good review of the Supreme Court, its history, it‘s rulings and its controversies. Mostly it ends up being an excellent review of court cases and how the court rulings changed our laws, culture and political system. But, it is also how the political parties throughout our history have tried to manipulate the court to meet their own agendas. The author is a Progressive radio host, so there are some rants. For the most part, these are well documented Supreme Court rulings. There is an abundance of foot notes (147) and references. Reading electronically allows you to jump out and independently research the cases. I found no issues with the case information I independently checked with other online resources. One theme of the book is that political parties pack the court to support long term agendas. One example. Abraham Lincoln’s vice president was Andrew Johnson, a Southern Democrat and ex-slave owner. Johnson became President April 15, 1865. To keep Johnson from assigning a New Supreme Court Justice, the Republican controlled Congress passed the Judicial Circuits Act of 1866, reducing the Supreme Court size from 10 to 6. This kept Johnson from replacing a justice if one died or quit. In 1868, Republican Ulyses Grant became president and Congress passed the Judicial Act of 1869, increasing the size to 9. More recently, in 2016, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell nullified President Obama‘s nomination of Merrick Garland to replace sitting Justice Antonin Scalia, who had just died. The Supreme Court is an important political instrument for both parties.

I'm 72 years old and regret not reading more over the years. Thom Harman's book helps fill in some of the blanks. For example, the Vietnam war kept going longer than needed. Nixon's presidential aspirations required keeping it going, so he struck a deal to cause the war to linger longer. For a Vietnam veteran, that's good to know. I read this before, and now I have it in this handy little book. Of course, the courts have center-stage here. Mr. Hartman makes clear, we, our grandchildren, face an "existential crisis" in the form of human-caused global warming. The fossil fuel industry has a role in shaping courts of the 21st century, as they have a role in climate deception and 415 ppm CO2 atmospheric density, and climbing rapidly. Brushing up on the history of our courts should serve well, then, to explain climate deception, in part. Like, how did corporations gain personhood, and how did money in politics become a form of free speech? Mr. Hartman's writing gets to the critical history many baby boomers ignore. So, here's an essential book to both remind us and enlighten us for the future. Buy this book and read it, share it.

I was expecting a narrowly focused book on the judiciary; but in "The Supreme Court and the Betrayal of America,"Thom Hartman questions everything concerning our government...even the Constitution. It is short, to the point, easy to read and well worth reading, and rereading; especially in these troubled times when our faith in government is being questioned. Thom brings up questions that I would never have thought to ask, and the solutions to those questions that we must confront. Bob Bogner Author: "Wilder: A Social Justice Phantasy"

A great book to read give you more insight on how the supreme Court is making decisions to benefit others especially corporations.

The book to read about the destruction of our judicial system. Hartmann explains how we got to this point and how to fix it. It’s a short, no nonsense, straight to the point type of book. But at the same time packed with history and information. Also it explains the true nature of the manipulation of the judicial system and to who’s real advantage. The countries heading toward a very dark and evil place. Read this book and understand that the problem is real and needs to be stopped. Buy a few copies for friends and relatives who haven’t been blinded by a con man.

Comme a son habitude, Hartmann ne néglige aucun détail sur son sujet, ce qui aide le lecteur à comprendre comment la Cour Suprême fonctionne de manière si surprenante aujourd'hui.

Contains many insights in to how the ultra-wealthy corrupt and undermine the democratic will and interests of the people by using their power of the purse in conjunction with the power of a corrupted and an unelected judiciary. The author did however, miss the most important insight in to this matter, whilst at the same time directly quoting one of the so called Founding Fathers who put his finger right on the button. Quite amazing. Never the less, an easy to read and well constructed story.

The book was interesting and his writing style also appealed to me. With some points he made, he could have gone a bit more in depth but all in all happy to have read it.