“Ambitious, opinionated, scholarly, gossipy … wonderful. Closed Chambers is a crash course in contemporary constitutional law and judicial culture.” —Newsday
“Lazarus has opened a window on matters that are usually kept secret. … [He] should be praised … for shedding light where it is needed.” —The Washington Post
“Impeccably resarched and impressibly documented … will fascinate diehard court-watchers.” —The Boston Globe
“The Court needs critics—and members—with Lazarus’s intellectual clarity and deep attachment to its best traditions.” —Los Angeles Times
Preface to the Penguin Edition
Author’s Note
The Highest Court in the Land
THE MARBLE PALACE
A Clerk’s Eye View
The Grand Canyon
THE PENALTY OF DEATH
The Spirit of Scottsboro
Sand in the Machine
The Strike of Lightning
Backlash
The Death Watch
The Lone Ranger
Stay of Execution
A Cop Killer’s Case
Equal Protection of the Laws
THINGS FALL APART
Robert Bork and Civil War
The Cabal Against the Libs
The Test of Sincerity
THE TORTURE OF LAWS
The Right to Privacy
The Price of Good Intentions
The Triumph of Politics
A COURT DIVIDED
Transitions
A Fragile Peace
Old Battles, New Wounds
Final Thoughts
Notes
Index
