Becoming Justice Blackmun: Harry Blackman’s Supreme Court Journey

A fascinating book. In clear and forceful prose, Becoming Justice Blackmun tells a judicial Horatio Alger story and a tale of a remarkable transformation … A page-turner.–The New York Times Book Review

In this acclaimed biography, Linda Greenhouse of The New York Times draws back the curtain on America’s most private branch of government, the Supreme Court. Greenhouse was the first print reporter to have access to the extensive archives of Justice Harry A. Blackmun (1908-99), the man behind numerous landmark Supreme Court decisions, including Roe v. Wade.

Through the lens of Blackmun’s private and public papers, Greenhouse crafts a compelling portrait of a man who, from 1970 to 1994, ruled on such controversial issues as abortion, the death penalty, and sex discrimination yet never lost sight of the human beings behind the legal cases. Greenhouse also paints the arc of Blackmun’s lifelong friendship with Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, revealing how political differences became personal, even for two of the country’s most respected jurists.

From America’s preeminent Supreme Court reporter, this is a must-read for everyone who cares about the Court and its impact on our lives.