Turning Right: The Making of the Rehnquist Supreme Court

Savage delivers a chilling, precise account of the Supreme Court's rollback of constitutional rights. A Los Angeles Times reporter who has covered the Court since 1986, the author presents a detailed, anecdotal chronicle of cases, personalities and behind-the-scenes wrangling; charts the Court's rightward drift under Chief Justice William Rehnquist; documents the rearguard actions of staunch liberal justices Thurgood Marshall and William Brennan; and dispassionately reviews the Court's ruling on the death penalty, abortion, drug testing and other issues. He also recreates the battles over the nominations of Robert Bork, Anthony Kennedy, David Souter and Clarence Thomas. Generally restrained in his criticism, Savage faults the Rehnquist Court's ``uncanny ability for misinterpreting federal legislaton.'' Readers interested in predicting how a specific justice is likely to vote on a particular issue will find this casebook useful. Photos. Author tour. (May)