This book is a sweeping andrevealing insider look at court history andthe life of William Brennan, champion of free speech and public access to information, and widely considered the most influential Supreme Court justice of the twentieth century. Before his death, Brennan granted coauthor Stephen Wermiel access to a trove of personal andcourt materials that will notbe available to the public until 2017.Wermiel also conducted more than 60 hours of interviews with Brennan over the course of six years.No other biographerhas enjoyed this kind of access toa Supreme Courtjustice or to his papers.

JusticeBrennan makes publicfor the first time the contents ofwhat Jeffrey Toobincalls "a coveted set of documents," Brennan's case histories, in which he recorded the strategizing behind all the major battles of the past half century, including Roe v. Wade, affirmative action, the death penalty, obscenity law, and the constitutional right to privacy. Revelations on a more intimate scale include how Brennan refused to hire female clerks evenas he wrote groundbreaking women's rights decisions;his complex stance asa justice anda Catholic;andnew details onBrennan's unprecedented working relationship with Chief Justice Earl Warren.

Thisrivetinginformation--intenselyvaluable to readers of all political persuasions--will cement Brennan's reputation as epic playmaker of the Court's most liberal era.