Justice Is Served: A Tale of Scallops, the Law, and Cooking for RBG

by Leslie Karst

When Leslie Karst learned that her offer to cook dinner for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her renowned tax law professor husband, Marty, had been accepted, she was thrilled—and terrified. A small-town lawyer who hated her job and had taken up cooking as a way to add a bit of spice to the daily grind of pumping out billable hours, Karst had never before thrown such a high-stakes dinner party. Could she really pull this off?

Justice is Served is Karst’s light-hearted, earnest account of the journey this unexpected challenge launched her on—starting with a trip to Paris for culinary inspiration, and ending with the dinner itself. Along the way, she imparts details of Ginsburg’s transformation from a young Jewish girl from Flatbush, Brooklyn, to one of the most celebrated Supreme Court justices in our nation’s history, and shares recipes for the mouthwatering dishes she came up with as she prepared for the big night. But this memoir isn’t simply a tale of prepping for and cooking dinner for the famous RBG; it’s also about how this event, and all the planning and preparation that went into it, created a new sort of connection between Karst, her partner, and her parents, and also inspired Karst to make life changes that would reverberate far beyond one dinner party.



A heartfelt story of simultaneously searching for delicious recipes and purpose in life, Justice is Served is an inspiring reminder that it’s never too late to discover—and follow—your deepest passion.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Food, History, LGBT

288 pages, Paperback

First published April 4, 2023

About the author

Leslie Karst is the Agatha, Lefty, and Macavity Award-nominated author of the Orchid Isle Mysteries, the Sally Solari culinary mysteries; and the IBPA Benjamin Franklin and IPPY award silver medal-winning memoir JUSTICE IS SERVED: A TALE OF SCALLOPS, THE LAW, AND COOKING FOR RBG. After years waiting tables and singing in a new wave rock band, she decided she was ready for a “real” job and ended up at Stanford Law School. It was during her career as an attorney that Leslie rediscovered her youthful passion for food and cooking and once more returned to school—this time to earn a degree in culinary arts. Now retired from the law, in addition to writing, Leslie spends her time cooking, cycling, gardening, and observing cocktail hour promptly at five o’clock. She and her wife and their Jack Russell mix split their time between Hilo, Hawai‘i and Santa Cruz, California.

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this memoir, Santa Cruz corporate lawyer and cooking enthusiast Leslie Karst writes about the time she prepared dinner for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG).


Author Leslie Karst


Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

It happened like this: Leslie's father Kenneth Karst, a professor of constitutional law at UCLA, invited his 'warm colleague' Ruth Bader Ginsburg to speak at the law school. Hearing about the invitation, Leslie blurted out, "Ohmygod, if she does say yes, you and Mom should invite her for dinner and I can come down to your house and cook."

Ginsburg accepts the invitation and Leslie has nine months to prepare for the big day, scheduled for January, 2005. Karst, who up to now has limited herself to small stylish dinner parties for friends, observes: "This momentous event called for a sophistication and grandeur on a scale I'd never even considered attempting." Serendipitously, Leslie and her partner Robin are going to Paris for a month, where - among other activities - Leslie will seek out the very best recipe ideas for her 'dinner with Ruth.'

In Paris, Leslie and Robin sample as many dishes as they can, such as steakfrites (steak and fries); pan-fried duck breast; mussels and oysters; foie gras; goat, cow, and sheep's cheeses; frisée salad with lardons and poached egg; and much more. For dessert the women try a variety of sweets, including crème brûlée; chocolate mousse; tarte tatin, and coupe chantilly. Of course everything is washed down with glasses of delicious French wine....which cost less than Coca-Cola in Paris restaurants.


Coupe Chantilly

Karst realizes she needs to know the food preferences and dietary constraints of her guests of honor, RBG and her husband Professor Martin Ginsburg - who's an excellent cook himself. Leslie emails Martin, who responds: "How nice of you to ask. I eat anything (except poi); RBG likes fish and shellfish (as do I) and does not eat red meat. We have no known allergies."

This information informs Karst's menu for the dinner, and Leslie scours cookbooks; peruses the internet; asks friends; consults foodies; speaks with oenophiles; tastes wines; tries out recipes; obsesses day and night; and finally comes up with five courses.....and matching wines.

The food menu consists of:

➤ Appetizer - seared sea scallops with ginger-lime cream sauce;


Seared Scallops

➤ Soup - roasted butternut squash soup with brown butter, garnished with crème fraîche, walnut oil, and chopped walnuts;


Roasted Squash Soup

➤ Salad - baby spinach salad with blood orange, red onion, dried cranberries, gorgonzola cheese, pine nuts, and Dijon vinaigrette dressing;


Spinach Salad

➤ Main Course - blackened ahi coated with a dry rub of spices and black sesame seeds, served with wasabi mashed potatoes and sautéed snow peas;


Blackened Ahi


Wasabi Mashed Potatoes


Sautéed Snow Peas

➤ Dessert - pastries from a fine bakery, including chocolate mousse and praline tart; chocolate ganache tart; lemon chiffon tart; strawberry and crème fraîche tart; and cheesecake.


Chocolate Tart

Once the food and wines are chosen, Leslie - with help from her partner Robin and mom Smiley Karst - focuses on the china, stemware, and silver needed for each course. Some items come from Leslie's parents' house in Santa Monica; some from Leslie and Robin's home in Santa Cruz; and some are purchased online or from department stores. On the 'big day' Leslie collects edible flowers to decorate the plates, and even steals a few nasturtiums from a flower bed outside an apartment building.



During RBG's visit to Los Angeles in January, the justice speaks at the law school and has a Q&A session; is the guest of honor at a reception at the dean's house; attends an opera with Leslie's parents; and is a dinner guest at the Karst home, where Leslie's food is delicious and the conversation is stimulating.


Left to right: Professor Kenneth Karst, Dean Michael Schill, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her husband, Martin Ginsburg, at UCLA law


Author Leslie Karst (left) and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Karst also writes about her personal life; her family and friends; her partner Robin; her work as a corporate lawyer; her other interests, like music and singing; and more. Leslie laments she doesn't love the law like her father and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and mentions her intention to become a fiction writer. In fact, Karst now pens the 'Sally Solari' culinary mystery books.



The narrative is interspersed with 'interludes' about RBG, including the justice's schooling; jobs; husband Marty; interest in equal rights; ascension to the Supreme Court; judicial philosophy; affection for Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Antonin Scalia; writing style; caustic wit; love of opera; stylish wardrobe; and more. Speaking of style, RBG was named one of Glamour magazine's Women of the Year in 2012.


RBG is one of Glamour magazine's Women of the Year

Recipes for the scallops, soup, salad, ahi, potatoes, and snow peas are included.

I enjoyed the book and highly recommend it to foodies and fans of RBG.

Thanks to Netgalley, Leslie Karst, and She Writes Press for a copy of the manuscript.

https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com

[Kelly Decoteau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a unique book! The author, Leslie Karst, writes about her first hand experience in preparing an intimate meal at her parents’ home for Judge Ruth Badger Ginsberg and her sweet husband, Marty.

The story begins nine months before the dinner takes place, when Leslie’s father tells her his friend Ruth will be coming to town to speak at UCLA. Leslie is also in the field of law, but her passion lies in cooking wonderful food. She suggests that she could cook them dinner while they’re in town, and there the story begins.

For months Leslie painstakingly prepares a menu, experiments with the dishes, and plans out every last detail. I was surprised how much of the book was about the months leading up to the dinner! If you’re a foodie you will appreciate all of the insight.

In the last quarter of the book, Leslie finally gets to meet Ruth. It’s the night before the big dinner at a party. (There’s a fun surprise that night. I think it’s my favorite part of the book!) Then finally, we get to hear about the grand dinner.

I must mention the various interludes throughout the book, where we learn more about RGB and the work she did. I really enjoyed that.

I found myself wondering how the author could remember so many details and it turns out, as she explains in the afterword, that the day after the dinner she decided to write it all down. She wrote the whole book in a day!

Overall, I would say this was an unusual, lighthearted read. A fun glimpse into someone else’s life!

[Heather Moll · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leslie Karst was an unhappy lawyer and talented hobby cook who found herself catering a dinner for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bater Ginsberg in 2005. She has nine months to plan the dinner party of her life. The focus of this low stakes memoir is on the meal planning and that’s interspersed with tidbits about RGB’s life and career.

I’m a fan of food and cooking related memoirs and the food descriptions were enticing. Sometimes we dragged too long on things like finding another champagne flute. This was partly due to the author’s indecisiveness but the editing is to blame too. I was bored during the some sections of the build up and found the footnotes throughout to be a distraction.

This had more biographical elements about RGB than memoir-related insights about the author. I wanted more about her life throughout the book than RBG’s life. But read this one if you’re a foodie or a RBG fan.

I received an arc from NetGalley

[Jessica Schnelker · Rating 4 out of 5]

If there was ever a more perfect combination of my favorite things--law, memoirs, and food--I have yet to find it!

𝐽𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑆𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒𝑑 by @LeslieKarst recounts Leslie's experience preparing for and hosting a dinner party for RBG. The dinner party comes at a time with Leslie herself is paralyzed by her own fear of leaving the law behind her to pursue more creative endeavors. Planning the dinner party for RBG serves as a labor of love and inspiration for her as she continues to wrestle with this internal conflict.

Interspersed throughout the pages are short interludes that recount Justice Ginsburg's own life transformations and her significance in the quest for equality. #RBG was famous for her incremental approach to progress. While it can be frustrating to wait for equality, it is a good reminder that truly lasting change only occurs when people's mind and hearts change too.

Thank you to @BookSparks for my copy! ❤️

[Laurien Berenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so much fun to read. Leslie Karst's mysteries are great, but this book was the icing on the cake.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

****Publishing April 4, 2023****

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leslie Karst wrote a memoir on her experience preparing for and cooking for Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her husband, Marty.

Leslie is a lawyer like her father and cooks for fun. Leslie’s father was a law professor at UCLA and was friends with Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He was about to retire after 40 years and tried for years to get her to come and talk to his law class. But with no luck, so he decided to ask her one last time and he was pleasantly surprised she accepted. Leslie said to her father half jokingly that she could throw them a dinner party. Her father liked the idea. When she got the confirmation that the dinner party would happen, Leslie had exactly 9 months to plan before the party! This coincided with a trip to Paris, so she decided to get ideas for the dinner party while on her trip. Can she pull it off? Will Ruth Bader Ginsburg be pleased? Will she be able to impress Ruth Bader Ginsburg not only with her food, but on impressing her with her professional knowledge?

I love how this author not only told her personal experience of preparing for and executing the dinner party, but how she intermixed details about Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s personal and professional life. I also liked how the recipes from the dinner she served were included. It was also a nice touch to see a picture of Leslie and Ruth from the dinner!

A perfect book for those who are foodies and are Ruth Bader Ginsburg fans. A great book club pick as it will lead to many interesting discussions.

Thanks to She Writes Press , I was provided an ARC of Justice is Served by Leslie Karst via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lively memoir about finding one’s bliss while preparing a dinner for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, this is a foodie’s delight. Interspersed with the chronological retelling you will learn about RBG’s life and career.

On the surface, Leslie Karst was a success: twenty years at a law firm, her relationship with wife Robin was strong, she was close to her parents, a potter and law professor. Bur Karst never felt a deep love for the law, finding her work a relentless toil. She found satisfaction as part of a band and a choral group preparing to perform the Bach Mass in B Minor, and studying the culinary arts. She toys with the idea of writing a novel.

Before her father’s retirement, he once again asked RBG to speak at the law school and invited her to the family home for dinner. This time, she accepted. And Karst was to prepare the meal.

The book traces the nine months leading to the dinner as she chooses the dishes and tests the preparation. She considers every detail, from the plates and silver to the floral garnishes on the plate–including some purloined nasturtium! Along the way, we learn about Karst’s life and RBG’s legacy, especially in equal rights.

RBG is enigmatic although her husband Marty’s humor and liveliness comes across. There is a fun scene where Leslie and Robin meet Diane Keaton, clearly star-struck.

The memoir is about finding what is important and risking the life changes to embrace what you love. Karst has written a series of culinary mysteries.

Oh, and the recipes for the dinner she served are included.

I received an ARC through Spark Points Studio.

[Rachael Dockery · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 While well-written, I would have preferred a lot more RBG and a lot less meal prep (including serving dish selection).

[Grace Koshida · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lawyer Leslie Karst had jokingly suggested to her law professor father that she could cook dinner for US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her husband Marty when she accepts his invitation to visit Los Angeles. Leslie is thrilled but terrified about this culinary challenge. Most of the memoir focuses on Leslie's search for the perfect recipes interspersed with insights into Bader Ginsburg's life. The planning and execution of the dinner with the help of her partner Robin and her parents has a significant impact on Leslie's life beyond this one special evening.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and She Writes Press. All opinions are my own.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Leslie Karst is an unhappy lawyer who went to culinary school as a way to bring some creativity into her life. She has the opportunity to cook a dinner for Ruth and Marty Ginsburg because her Dad and Ruth knew each other from both teaching law school before Ruth was a Supreme Court Justice and the "Notorious RBG". When Karst finds out about the opportunity, she spends 9 months planning out every aspect of the dinner. Karst and her wife Robin have the opportunity to take part in a few other events with Ruth and Marty before the dinner so it's a whole weekend filled with unique opportunities to interact with such an influential couple.

I wasn't really sure what to expect with this book. I mainly decided to read it because I LOVE RBG and I also love food and cooking so it sounded like a good combination. I never thought it would literally be 210 pages of prepping for 34 pages of the dinner party. I guess I assumed that she would cook for RBG and then this would bring about a new career path as it was obvious that she didn't enjoy working as a lawyer. And it did. But only after 210 pages of detailed talk about every ingredient, every dish, every piece of cutlery and china, champagne glasses, etc. The writing was engaging but honestly it did get old. I don't know that this needed to be a full book. It could have been a short story/memoir piece of like 50 pages. She does include an "interlude" in each chapter with facts about RBG so that added to the book. She also includes the recipes for each dish she made at the end. Overall, I didn't love it. I almost wish I had read the first 2-3 chapters and the last 2 chapters - that would give you the overall gist of everything without all the details and obsessing over every piece of china and ingredient. I wouldn't recommend this one.

[Ameeta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Justice is Served is such a unique book and I want to transparently say, I requested it by accident. I incorrectly read the blurb and thought it was a cozy mystery. WHOOPS!

That being said, what a delightful surprise! I loved all the new learning about RBG's life while also learning so much about Leslie. This is a beautiful biography with a very unique reason for its penning; Leslie's dad is hosting Ruth over for dinner and wants Leslie to make the meal since he thinks so highly of her love for cooking. Leslie knows nine months ahead of time and is about to head off to France. The appreciation for cuisine in this book is so fun to read.

This book is about a woman working her job and realizing it doesn't bring her the passion she's hoping for from a career. She's doing soul-searching and making dinner for RBG turns into a very life altering experience.

[Susanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to the author, She Writes Press and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

From the afterword, I learned that the author is now a writer of culinary mysteries, which sounds fun. In the life phase described in this book, the author is still working as a lawyer and very much questioning her choice of profession. Most of this book follows along as the author prepares to cook a dinner for RBG and her husband, when they are visiting the university where the author's father teaches at the law school. I loved the bits of insight offered into RBG's life that are woven throughout, but found most of the rest more suited to a long-form article - as it was, it felt stretched out far enough to make a book. I did enjoy the actual dinner, but the descriptions of nine months of deliberations on the menu were way too much for me.

[Book.ishJulie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Justice Is Served: A Tale Of Scallops, The Law & Cooking for RBG by Leslie Karst is a full-bodied memoir! Part dinner party, part history lesson on Ruth Bader Ginsburg (a Supreme Court Justice in the United States) and part self-discovery story, it serves up a full-course of entertainment.

This was an incredible memoir, which almost became a two-person memoir, as I learned both about Karst's passion for cooking and Ginsburg's passion for equality. I found myself wanting to prepare a meal, drink a glass of wine, and research laws at the same time.

This memoir is like a delicious, well executed meal: it had side elements that brought to life the main course, which for me was learning about all the planning, preparing, and cooking that goes into making a very elaborate meal. (Although, upon further inspection at the recipes at the back of the book, they are not as daunting as I had assumed.) I'm looking forward to enjoying this same meal, taking that slow, deliborate, meandering time to create the elegant menu. This book is just that: a slow build-up, layering aspects together for the final feast.

This one is fantastic for anyone interested in culanary arts; anyone interested in putting together a dinner party; anyone that loves watching Ratatouille! It's also great for anyone interested in American politics and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

In short, another fantastic memoir!

Thank you Book Sparks for the complimentary copy to read and review.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is an intriguing and inspirational woman and I wanted to read this book to learn something more about her.
It was a compelling and entertaining read that kept me turning pages and made me learn something.
Well written, good storytelling.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

[Marymetobooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imagine that you have the opportunity to cook a private dinner, in your home, for Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her husband, Martin Ginsburg. How would you feel? Excited, inspired, intimidated, fearful?

Leslie Karst, the author, did cook such a dinner, and she experienced all those feelings and more. This book tells the story of that dinner, from the time she found out about it until the dinner had been served and the very special guests had departed.

This occasion was arranged by Leslie’s father, who was a law professor at the UCLA School of Law. He had met Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG) when they were both teaching law courses, he at Ohio State University and she at Rutgers. They had kept in touch, and she had finally accepted his invitation to speak at UCLA.

The dinner was scheduled for January 28, 2006 and would take place in the home of Leslie’s parents in Los Angeles. Including Leslie, and with the addition of Leslie’s partner, Robin, there would be six people dining.

Justice Ginsburg accepted the Karst’s invitation about nine months before the date of the dinner. That gave Leslie plenty of time to plan, to make test recipes, to hunt down the best sources of ingredients, and to locate and purchase additional dinnerware she needed. And to worry and be nervous.

Leslie had a lot of help with the dinner preparations from her parents and Robin. Her mother and father sound like lovely people. The dinner became a family project and brought them closer together.

I enjoyed reading about the food and wine, but my favorite parts of the story were those that focused on the life of RBG. These sections, which were interspersed throughout the book, were interesting and well written.

The descriptions of the delicious food made my mouth water, and luckily the recipes are included. And it was fascinating to hear about the dinner itself and especially about the conversations. Justice Ginsburg was reportedly shy and quiet, but also intelligent and humorous.

⭐️⭐️⭐️, available now. Extra credit for the wonderful title. My thanks to the author, Leslie Karst, to the publisher, She Writes Press, and to NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book.

#LeslieKarst #SheWritesPress #netgalley

[Zoe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Justice is Served follows author Leslie as she is preparing for cooking a dinner for RBG. I was looking forward to this book, with the hope to gain more insight on RBG from a personal account. I have always been a big RBG fan!

Most of this book chronicled the preparation of dinner which just didn’t hold me interest, there were parts of RBGs life weaved throughout and I found myself eagerly waiting for those parts. The details on the event itself were interesting but didn’t start until 85% through the book which felt sort of far away.

If you are more of a foodie (as well as big RBG fan) this book may be a hit for you, for me it fell a bit short.

[Jessica Hicks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting concept and I love thinking about food but I feel like it would have been better as a six page magazine article in Bon Apetit. Pictures would be fun and we could get the story without all the repetition.

I did love learning about RBG! The interludes full of fun facts were the best part!!

[maya doherty · Rating 3 out of 5]

actual rating 3.5

overall i really enjoyed the idea of this book. there were a lot of extraneous details and over-explained anecdotes that really slowed down the pace. additionally, i couldn’t get past karst claiming she wanted to pen the next great american novel and then using the same adjective thrice in two sentences. girl. also i feel like the book reveals her to be a flawed protagonist (i get the sense of her taking her partner robin for granted, complaining too much, and being just a Smidge pretentious [i mean who among us isn’t but it’s just hard to sit through it when you’re reading about it]) which is fine in a novel but hard when it’s your memoir.

loved the story, i just felt like there was so much fluff preventing me from actually reading it.

[bookish.brandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has wit and charm l, but I thought it was too long. The months out preparation was less interesting than the actual dinner itself. The RBG sections are what made me stick around.

[Shelby (catching up on 2025 reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

🍽️ SPRING POP UP 🍽️

Thank you #partners @booksparks and @lesliekarst for the gifted copy and for including me on this tour. #springpopup #justiceisserved #cookingforRBG

Justice is Served: A Tale of Scallops, the Law, and Cooking for RBG
By Leslie Karst
Pub: 4/4/2023 -- Coming soon!

Leslie is a lawyer, and while she's content in her life, her job doesn't bring her pleasure. Her hobbies, writing and cooking, are what ignite passion in her life. So when she's offered the chance to cook for the one and only Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Karst dives headfirst into the dinner party preparations. She has nine months to get ready, and so much to do!

This was such a unique read! Part memoir, part RBG biography, Karst takes the reader along as she prepares for one of the most important nights of her life, which ultimately leads to some big life changes.

The majority of the book is about Karst's preparations, as every single detail is painstakingly considered, as well as details about her life and the soulsearching that occurs throughout this process. The actual dinner party comes in toward the end, and I love that she included the actual recipes!

I also really enjoyed the "Interludes" included in each chapter, which include details about RBG's personal and professional life, and her many accomplishments. We get to know Karst and her wife Robin, and Ruth Bader Ginsberg and her husband Marty. All of which are such vibrant, likeable characters.

Karst's writing is conversational, candid, and often humorous. And though the majority of us aren't privileged enough to be bumping elbows with celebrities or heads of government, Karst has a way of making her experiences relatable and down-to-earth.

I recommend this for fans of RBG, foodies, or anyone who enjoys a unique, lighthearted true story. 💗
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[Shelley Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cooking memoir about the night the author (a former lawyer, culinary school graduate and now mystery writer) cooked a meal for US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg (a.k.a. RBG, 1933-2020).

It's a light hearted, easy read, though definitely not to be consumed while you are hungry. Leslie Karst's parents are acquaintances of RGB and the Justice's husband, and invited the couple to dinner. The first third of the book are about preparations for the meal, which include an exploratory trip to Paris. It is interesting to learn how a menu comes together, and the thought behind selecting both table ware and wines to match the food. It's intricate work, and nerve wracking when such an influential icon is involved.

There were two highlights for me--interspersed among the chapters are biographical sketches of RBG's life, from a working class Jewish girl from Flatbush, to the sexism she faced in law school (no law firm in New York City would hire her after graduation), to founding the ACLU's Women's Rights Project in 1972, to arguing before the Supreme Court, and finally to becoming a Supreme Court Justice herself. The respect that Karst, her wife, and her parents have for RBG is clearly shown, as is the astonishing influence RBG has had on women's legal status in the US.

The second highlight was the meal itself, beginning with Champagne, cashews and rice crackers, then seared scallops with a ginger and lime cream sauce; a butternut squash soup; followed by a baby spinach salad with blood oranges, red onion and pine nuts with a dijon vinaigrette; a main course of blackened ahi tuna and wasabi mashed potatoes; and patisserie. It was an inspiring menu, and I was glad that the recipes were included.

This book will appear to aspiring cooks and anyone who wants to learn more about RBD and her legacy.

[Anne Wolfe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This memoir is an interesting amalgam of autobiography, biography, (of a historical figure (Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her husband Marty), and a foodie diary worthy of Gourmet Magazine. Leslie Karst,, who I understand from the afterward, is now a mystery writer whose main character's interest is cooking has attempted a unique piece of prose.

After practicing civil law for 20 years, Karst begins thinking about changing careers. She learns that her father, a law professor who is soon to retire has invited Ruth Bader Ginsberg to speak at his school. Ginsburg has accepted for a date almost a year in the future. Karst and her wife, Robin, and Karst's parents have decided to cook and serve dinner to the Justice and her husband during the Ginsburg's visit.

The book is divided into the meal planning, Karst's job, and "intervals" of RBG's biography. I must admit that I have never read anything quite like this before but that is not necessarily a recommendation. I did, however, learn quite a bit about cooking, wines, table setting, and meeting. celebrities (Diane Keaton, specifically).

Although interesting, this book is easy to put down and to skip passages in. That's probably why it took me so long to finish. I would recommend it to amateur chefs and fans of the late Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. And, of course, those readers who enjoy Karst's mysteries.

Thanks to NetGalley and She Writes, the publisher, for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun intersection of memoir, history lesson, cookbook and "finding yourself" book. Justice is Served is the story of nine months from the time the author learns that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has finally accepted her law professor father's invitation to speak at the UCLA Law School and impulsively offers to cook dinner for the esteemed Justice and her husband until the big event. We go along as she frets about her menu and everything associated with a "formal" dinner, from what glassware and dishes to use to exactly what wine to serve and which garnishes to use for each course. I could feel her excitement and angst as she worked through each decision. Along the way, I could also relate as she struggled with a job she really was not enthralled to be doing and attempted to figure out the next steps along her career path. When the momentous weekend finally arrives, it is exciting to walk through each step as she first meets the Justice, encounters another celebrity, who is "fan-girling" about the Justice, to serving the big dinner and learning that as well as being "The Justice", she is also Ruth, a wife, mother and friend. Watching the passion both her father and Ruth have for what they do for a living helps the author finally make the life decision she has struggled with for years. She retires from her law career and becomes a writer of culinary mysteries, and a memoir of a time when she met an idol and found her calling.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Justice Is Served is an appealing and well told memoir by Leslie Karst. Released 4th April 2023, it's 288 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats.

It's always enjoyable to listen to enthusiasts waxing lyrical about the things that make their hearts beat faster. The author (who also writes mysteries) is a foodie lawyer from a family of lawyers. It's her familial connection via her father (a professor of law) through which she was able to meet Justice Ruth Bader and Marty Ginsburg and serve them a memorable meal.

This is mostly a story of the author finding herself and her way in life, and engaging her passion for culinary arts after working in the legal profession for a couple of decades. There are interludes throughout the book containing fascinating glimpses into RBG, her career, her fierce intelligence, and her humanity.

The author has included recipes for the dinner dishes mentioned in the book. They're elegant, refined, and delicious (and worthy of the Ginsburgs).

Four stars. This is an odd book, but nevertheless an interesting and worthwhile read.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Cher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leslie was given the chance to cook dinner for RBG and her husband Marty when she was visiting her father. This was a good telling of the prep and dinner party for this encounter mixed in with some RGB backstory.

I of course knew of Ruth Bader Ginsburg but I didn’t know all of her backstory and time before being a Supreme Court Justice.

The author did a great job going back and forth between the story of her prep and then some interesting moments in RBG’s life.

The descriptions during the making of the meal were really great and made me hungry!

I also really enjoyed the recipes included at the end and will for sure be making the salad course!

I will say though that I really disliked the use of the footnotes. Many times I did not feel they added anything to the story and instead was frustrating to stop, read then get back into the story. I stopped reading them after the first ten to be honest. The information for the most part was not worth the distraction.

If you late a foodie and a fan of RBG then you will really enjoy this read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ebook ARC of this novel.


Now I am off to hunt down some blood oranges for this salad!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leslie Karst's JUSTICE IS SERVED

This book serves lessons in pursuing a goal with determination, and insights about choosing work in one has a passionate interest. It began to make more sense to me about halfway in (confession to skimming through some to get to that point). My own cooking is of the quick, easy, “no one has died of my cooking” sort, so the intricate details and search for perfection were foreign to me, but the gathering to enjoy the meal was wonderful. The discussion of law and life, the hospitality to the agents, the appreciation of each other’s interests added to the deliciousness, as did the ongoing information about Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s life and work, and the Q&A with the students.
The conclusion, that work that doesn’t interest is not the best choice, even with a good income, rings true. What is equality for if we don’t use it wisely? I did other work when there were no teaching jobs, and learned from that work, but truly came to my rightful life when I finally could teach, as I’d wanted to since kindergarten.
I’m left very happy that Karst followed her muse . . . and I’m off to find some more of her books.

[Cora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this a little while ago but I wanted to read this other book about eating with RBG and decide what I thought after that, and what I think is that people are sleeping on this, because it’s the one I was looking for (tho both have merit!). This book could have been written by a friend of mine, and I like that feel. It’s the story of one lawyer who doesn’t like her job, being offered the chance to cook a meal for perhaps the most famous lawyer of all time, and one of her heroes. The majority of the book is the slow process of the author deciding what to cook, and only a relatively short bit is about the dinner itself. But the author intersperses little vignettes about RBG’s life which, while mostly known to me, made for a better read. I don’t think the writing is amazing, but it also doesn’t need to be. It’s a quick read, but one that should be on every RBG fan’s list because you can go through an experience you’ll never get to have along with the author. It helps to be a fan of food too, because while the author is technically an amateur, her knowledge and ability in the kitchen far surpasses most amateur chefs. All around delivered exactly what it promised.

[Kalle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Justice is Served is a book about the author, an unsatisfied lawyer and armature, cooking dinner for Supreme Court Justice Ruther Bader-Ginsberg. I love RBG and thought this book seemed like a fun premise!

This was a nice personal story that went into the food prep, relationships with family members, and career angst from the author's POV. It is also interspersed with asides about RBG's life, which were fun to read.

My main issue with this book is that the event is just not enough to warrant an almost 300 page book. I think that it would have worked much better as a long article or a fictional retelling inspired by actual events. As it stands, you're reading a book about one dinner that happened in 2003. I like reading about food but even for me it went too far into the prep, menu design, etc. I felt like everything was stretched to the utmost degree to get enough content out of the event that happened 20 years ago. About 60% in I felt like I would never get to the dinner. I feel like the bones of a good piece are here, but the event just did not warrant memoir about the occasion.

Good premise but just not the right medium for me! 2.25 stars rounded down to 2. Thank you to She Writes Press and NetGalley for the electronic advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

[Judi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even thought this is the second memoirs I've read lately that concerns a meal for RBG, I truly loved it!
I say that because I felt that I was right there with Leslie and her friends and family as they decided what to serve and all the ramifications that involved. It simply couldn't have been better.

Wait. It could have been better. If there had been a lot of photos included, of both the food and the guests. Her descriptions were wonderful but I would have liked to see everything!

A bonus was the inclusion of the recipes she used and I do appreciate that. But since I read it on a kindle I'm not sure how to save the recipes. I would have liked to see the recipe Marty gave her for the bread but I am unable to find the book she mentioned, which is a shame because I'm sure I would have liked to see Marty's other recipes too.

I cannot even imagine the expense of that meal! Besides the food and the wine and the crystal glasses she had to buy and the plates. All I can say is I'm glad she had a good job!

A terrific book and so glad I read it!

[Debbie Rozier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fabulous memoir in which Leslie shared about her journey to prepare a dinner for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Now Leslie is not a world renowned chef but a lawyer who got a culinary arts degree just for fun.

Leslie takes the reader through choosing what to make and how she practiced for the meal that she served when RBG visited her parents’ house for dinner.

The book also has many interludes where the reader can learn more about RBG.

My favorite parts of this book of is the actual takeaway that Leslie gets from planning for, preparing, and enjoying the meal with RBG.

The recipes for what she serves for each course are pretty mouth watering too!!

I’m most excited to know that Leslie now writes food cozy mysteries. I just checked out on hoopla the backlist first book, DYING FOR A TASTE, since I really enjoyed the entertaining writing style of this memoir.