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14 days and 17:17:10
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Last Branch Standing: A Potentially Surprising, Occasionally Witty Journey Inside Today's Supreme Court
Not yet published
Expected 14 Apr 26Win a free print copy of this book!
14 days and 17:17:10
30 copies available
U.S. only
A myth-busting glimpse into the inner workings of the Supreme Court in the “Roberts era,” revealing what we get wrong about the nine justices (and what they eat for lunch) and the right way to fix a Court in crisis—from the popular ABC news pundit and witty co-host of the top legal podcast in the US
Most people get the Supreme Court all wrong. That includes Washington “insiders.” A smattering of high-profile decisions have popularized a simplistic idea of the Court and its nine justices. Yes, six of them were appointed by Republicans, and only three were appointed by a Democratic president. So, how does that 6-3 conservative majority explain why liberal Elena Kagan and conservative Samuel Alito agreed with each other over 60 percent of the time in a recent term? Or why the court threw shade at Florida’s attempt to ban drag shows?
To truly appreciate the nine justices of the Supreme Court, argues Sarah Isgur, you have to look beyond political affiliation. That’s only part of the story—the “X-Axis”. The wisest court insiders know that they there is a whole other measuring stick—the “Y-Axis.” On this spectrum, the justices span from order-loving institutionalists to true chaos agents. The Y-Axis affects which cases the court takes, when they take them, how they get decided. And, when you appreciate its nuances, you’ll see the court looks a lot more like 3-3-3 than 6-3.
The ultimate insider, Isgur takes readers on a deep dive inside the Supreme how cases land at the court’s doorstep, which justices attend clerk happy hours (and which ones even bother showing up to the office), why conservatives already have buyer’s remorse about Amy Coney Barrett, and how the whole judiciary system is itself, well, kind of a constitutional anomaly. Blending irreverent humor and incisive commentary, Isgur goes behind the cloaks and robes—and shows us what we need to do to preserve the rule of law amid dicey times in this little self-governing experiment we’ve been running for the last 250 years.
Most people get the Supreme Court all wrong. That includes Washington “insiders.” A smattering of high-profile decisions have popularized a simplistic idea of the Court and its nine justices. Yes, six of them were appointed by Republicans, and only three were appointed by a Democratic president. So, how does that 6-3 conservative majority explain why liberal Elena Kagan and conservative Samuel Alito agreed with each other over 60 percent of the time in a recent term? Or why the court threw shade at Florida’s attempt to ban drag shows?
To truly appreciate the nine justices of the Supreme Court, argues Sarah Isgur, you have to look beyond political affiliation. That’s only part of the story—the “X-Axis”. The wisest court insiders know that they there is a whole other measuring stick—the “Y-Axis.” On this spectrum, the justices span from order-loving institutionalists to true chaos agents. The Y-Axis affects which cases the court takes, when they take them, how they get decided. And, when you appreciate its nuances, you’ll see the court looks a lot more like 3-3-3 than 6-3.
The ultimate insider, Isgur takes readers on a deep dive inside the Supreme how cases land at the court’s doorstep, which justices attend clerk happy hours (and which ones even bother showing up to the office), why conservatives already have buyer’s remorse about Amy Coney Barrett, and how the whole judiciary system is itself, well, kind of a constitutional anomaly. Blending irreverent humor and incisive commentary, Isgur goes behind the cloaks and robes—and shows us what we need to do to preserve the rule of law amid dicey times in this little self-governing experiment we’ve been running for the last 250 years.
416 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication April 14, 2026
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Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Last Branch Standing is a useful introduction and guide to the U.S. Supreme Court for the lay person interested in how the court works.
Sarah Isgur's writing style is informative and entertaining. She presents an overview of the history of the court and its members and how cases are decided.
I found this to be an enjoyable read full of history and information I can use.
I heartily recommend it.
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for this e-ARC in exchange for this honest review
Sarah Isgur's writing style is informative and entertaining. She presents an overview of the history of the court and its members and how cases are decided.
I found this to be an enjoyable read full of history and information I can use.
I heartily recommend it.
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for this e-ARC in exchange for this honest review
Displaying 1 of 1 review