The Bench

by Thomas Edward Brennan

The Bench tells the stories of eight Justices of the Supreme Court of Michigan. Their lives and loves, their politics and peccadilloes, their intrigues and ambitions are all exposed in this tantalizing first novel by author Thomas E. Brennan. Meet Edward Breitner, the brilliant, ambitious Chief Justice who leads a double life; Alton Henry, the unpredictable curmudgeon and back room manipulator, and Doris Templeton, the feisty liberal who worships Breitner and despises Henry. Watch kindly old Frederick van Timlin, uneasily approaching retirement, and follow the melancholy machinations of Bob O Leary, the hard drinking war hero. Share the personal tragedy of Hilda Germaine, the Court s first black woman, and the angst of Julia Hudson, the scholarly federal judge who comes to the bench in the midst of it most disturbing crisis. Finally, you ll come to know Jim Malloy, the sometimes clumsy, always controversial young circuit judge whose election to the high court triggers a series of unexpected, troubling and ambiguous events. Winners and losers. Victims and survivors., You ll find them all among the fascinating ensemble who occupy The Bench.of five men and three women who wear the black robes of Supreme Court Justices. The Bench The Bench tells the stories Supreme Court of Michigan. Their lives and loves, their politics and peccadilloes, their intrigues and ambitions are all exposed in this tantalizing first novel by author Thomas E. Brennan. Meet Edward Breitner, the brilliant, ambitious Chief Justice who leads a double life; Alton Henry, the unpredictable curmudgeon and back room manipulator, and Doris Templeton, the feisty liberal who worships Breitner and despises Henry. Watch kindly old Frederick van Timlin, uneasily approaching retirement, and follow the melancholy machinations of Bob O Leary, the hard drinking war hero. Share the personal tragedy of Hilda Germaine, the Court s first black woman, and the angst of Julia Hudson, the scholarly federal judge who comes to the bench in the midst of it most disturbing crisis. Finally, you ll come to know Jim Malloy, the sometimes clumsy, always controversial young circuit judge whose election to the high court triggers a series of unexpected, troubling and ambiguous events. Winners and losers. Victims and survivors., You ll find them all among the fascinating ensemble who occupy The Bench.of five men and three women who wear the black robes of Justices of the .

464 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2000