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Justice for All - Earl Warren and the Nation He Made (2006)
Front Cover Book Details
Genre Biography; Non-Fiction
Subject Judges - United States - Biography; United States. Supreme Court - Biography; Warren, Earl, 1891-1974
Publication Date 10/5/2006
Format Hardcover (9.5 x 6.6 mm)
Publisher Riverhead Hardcover
Language English
Extras Dust Jacket; Dust Jacket Cover
Description
Earl Warren played a key role in nearly every defining political moment in American history in the latter half of the twentieth century. He began as an aggressive county prosecutor offended by graft and vice, then rose through California politics. As attorney general and governor, he led the country's fastest-growing state during a time of enormous change, his support for the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II one of the few blemishes on an otherwise progressive record. From his historic governorship to his pivotal years as Chief Justice to his role as chairman of the commission that investigated the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Warren traversed the Depression and the Cold War, the struggles to defend America against foreign enemies, and the emergence of a muscular commitment to individual liberty.--From publisher description.
Personal Details
Store AbeBooks
Purchase Price $10.50
Acquire Date 3/30/2018
Condition Very Good/Very Good
Rating 0
Links Library of Congress
Product Details
LoC Classification KF8745.W3 .N49 2006
Dewey 347.732634
ISBN 9781594489280
Edition [1st ed.]
Cover Price $32.00
No. of Pages 624
First Edition Yes
Rare No
Notes/Review
Earl Warren was one of the most important figures in 20th century America. He is not as well known as many 20th century Presidents, but as Supreme Court Chief Justice he inaugurated four of them and oversaw many of the key cases that gave us many of the rights we take for granted today. Certainly, "gave us" isn't the correct verbiage. The Constitution gave us those rights, or dictated that government couldn't usurp them, but before the Warren court many of these rights were either unrecognized or trampled nonetheless.

This book is a whole-life biography of Warren. It is broken into three parts. The first part, which is about a quarter of the book, covers his youth and his time as District Attorney in Oakland and Attorney General of California. The second part, the next quarter of the book, covers his time as Governor of California. The third part, the last half of the book, covers his tenure as Chief Justice, along with a short chapter of his retirement.

The author, I think, does a good job of analyzing Warren's positions, many of which changed quite a bit over time. As Governor, he supported the internment of Japanese Americans in the cause of security in spite of the fact that no acts of sabotage had ever been blamed on Japanese or Japanese Americans. This contrasts with his battle against racism over his entire tenure on the Supreme Court. As a prosecutor, he took advantage of practices he declared unconstitutional as Chief Justice.

Includes photos, notes, index, and an extensive bibliography.