Courting Justice

Courting Justice tracks the U.S. Supreme Court's handling of gay rights cases from 1958 to 2000. Journalists Murdoch and Price document both landmark decisions and lesser-known cases that shaped LGBTQ legal history. The authors gained access to previously unreleased documents and conducted interviews with former Supreme Court clerks, litigants, and advocates. Their research reconstructs the internal discussions and dynamics among the justices as they wrestled with expanding civil rights protections. The narrative follows key figures who brought pivotal cases before the Court, including activists, attorneys, and everyday citizens seeking justice. Letters, memos, and oral histories provide insights into the personal stories behind the legal battles. This chronicle of the long path toward LGBTQ equality reveals how social movements and legal strategy intersect at the nation's highest court. The authors demonstrate the incremental nature of constitutional change and the role of individual courage in advancing civil rights.

Readers value this book as a detailed examination of how LGBTQ+ cases have moved through the Supreme Court. Many note its thorough research and documentation, particularly the interviews with former Supreme Court clerks that provide behind-the-scenes insights. Readers appreciate: - Clear explanations of complex legal concepts - Personal stories that humanize the legal cases - Comprehensive coverage from 1958-2000 Common criticisms: - Dense legal writing can be difficult for non-lawyers - Some find the level of detail overwhelming - A few readers note the book feels dated now (published 2001) Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (53 ratings) Amazon: 4.6/5 (11 reviews) "Reads like a detective story" notes one Amazon reviewer. A Goodreads reader describes it as "exhaustive but never exhausting." Law students frequently mention using it as a supplemental text for constitutional law courses.

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🏛️ The book chronicles over 50 years of Supreme Court cases involving LGBTQ+ rights, from 1958 to 2000, revealing numerous previously unreported details about these historic decisions. 📚 Co-authors Murdoch and Price were partners in life as well as writing, making them uniquely positioned to tell this story. Price was the first nationally syndicated columnist to write about gay issues for mainstream media. ⚖️ The authors conducted more than 100 interviews with Supreme Court clerks and examined thousands of documents from the personal papers of former Supreme Court justices to create this comprehensive account. 🗃️ The book reveals that Justice Lewis Powell, who cast the deciding vote against gay rights in the 1986 Bowers v. Hardwick case, later admitted he had made a mistake and should have voted differently. 📝 Through their research, the authors discovered that several Supreme Court justices had gay clerks, though this fact was rarely acknowledged publicly during the periods covered in the book.