Six Amendments, Justice John Paul Stevens
Six Amendments, Justice John Paul Stevens
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Six Amendments
How and Why We Should Change the Constitution

Author: Justice John Paul Stevens

Narrator: Daniel Hagen

Unabridged: 3 hr 26 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/22/2014


Synopsis

For the first time ever, a retired Supreme Court Justice offers a manifesto on how the Constitution needs to change.

By the time of his retirement in June 2010, John Paul Stevens had become the second longest serving Justice in the history of the Supreme Court. Now he draws upon his more than three decades on the Court, during which he was involved with many of the defining decisions of the modern era, to offer a book like none other. Six Amendments is an absolutely unprecedented call to arms, detailing six specific ways in which the Constitution should be amended in order to protect our democracy and the safety and wellbeing of American citizens.

Written with the same precision and elegance that made Stevens's own Court opinions legendary for their clarity as well as logic, Six Amendments is a remarkable work, both because of its unprecedented nature and, in an age of partisan ferocity, its inarguable common sense.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jared on June 11, 2014

Concise, cogent, and to the point. The six changes Justice Stevens would make are (1) enable the federal government to require state officers to enforce federal law (currently, although the constitution says that federal law is "the supreme law of the land" over state law, the supreme court has inte......more

Goodreads review by Kyle on March 27, 2014

Gotta hand it to former Justice Stevens: Just when you think you're gonna get a straight political polemic on the ills of the country, you instead get a quiet, calm, legally-reasoned set of arguments for a handful of constitutional amendments. Each proposed change gets its own mini legal history, wi......more

Goodreads review by HR-ML on November 10, 2024

This was written by the late US Supreme Court Justice Stevens. Pres. Ford appointed him to be a conservative voice on the court, when often Stevens was the opposite. Gave this 3.5 stars. Justice Stevens used legal language, so I tried my best to understand his points. I chose the most controversial......more

Goodreads review by Bill on February 13, 2017

a very linear description of how history and historical law got us from a starting point in the Constitution to current supreme court rulungs. A pretty dry read (more like a textbook) but it contains enough personal touch from JPS to keep it moving. I have a similar view of the Constitution as does......more

Goodreads review by Kristen on January 06, 2019

I listened to this on my drive back from Austin. It was so informative to hear these suggestions from a former Supreme Court Justice. He cited so many opinions; he’s got such a wealth of knowledge of legal history. It’s just fascinating. (A+)......more


Quotes

PRAISE FOR THE FIVE CHIEFS:

"Informative and very appealing....It's classic justice Stevens: understated and generous to those he differs with, but absolutely clear on where he believes justice lies."
--- Adam Cohen, Time

"Laced with observations on the court's architecture, traditions and even its seating arrangements, it is the collected ruminations of a man who has served his country in war and peace, across the decades... His memoir is as gracious as its author and a reminder that Stevens is more than a longtime member of the nation's highest court. He is a national treasure."
--- Jim Newton, Los Angeles Times

"An important addition to American history....At its core, the book is not just another memoir from yet another judge. It marks instead the end of an era on the Supreme Court and in the broader swath of American law and politics."
--- Andrew Cohen, The Atlantic

"Coming from the last of a dying breed of jurists who genuinely believe you can learn something from everyone if you just listen hard enough, it is a lesson in how, at the Supreme Court, civility and cordiality matter more, even, than doctrine."
--- Dahlia Lithwick, Washington Post