The lawyer in me goes all geeky when Stephen has guests like Mr. Sloane scheduled. From Legal Bisnow (internal link omitted):
Cliff Sloane is something of the DC bar’s jack of all trades … he’s already adding another title to his cv: Author. The Great Decision, his non-fiction tale of the drama behind Marbury v. Madison, is due from Public Affairs in March.
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There’s plenty of drama in Jefferson’s attempt to block Adam’s last-minute Federalist court-packing scheme, and when it opens in 1801 nobody even knows who’s President (Jefferson and Burr tied in the electoral college). But we liked it best for the colorful style—our Con Law professor never called Marbury “a triple bank shot by Marshall that enhanced the Court’s power and prestige.” But don’t trust us (not that you do); it gets a glowing write up in Kirkus, blurbs from historian Ken Burns and Harvard’s Larry Tribe, and is a main selection of the History Book Club. Cliff already has dates with Charlie Rose and Stephen Colbert on his calendar, but wisely chose to make a splash in Bisnow first.
No word on just when the appearance is scheduled, but I’m excited. For those of you who don’t know, it was Marbury v. Madison that established the Supreme Court’s authority to rule definitively in conflicts between the law and the Constitution. So, for instance, when Southern states ordered the segregatation of schools by law in the early twentieth century, the Supreme Court relied on Marbury for its authority to pronounce those laws unconstitutional (in Brown v. Board of Education). The original Marbury ruling was and, to a certain extent, still is controversial, but I’m definitely looking forward to the interview (and the book).
What kind of law do you specialize in MsI (if you don’t mind sharing)?
I love the new banner! It needed more red, white and blue:)
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On the off-chance that disclosure might be a detriment to someone, somewhere, I think I’d rather not say what my area of law is just now (nothing personal). Suffice it to say that I find it horribly dull, which means that anyone else would be likely to find it even more yawn-inducing.
Still, the academic in me gets all eager when I hear about potentially interesting guests, and this guy does seem to fit the bill (although I wish TCR would invite more female authors …).
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I completely understand your wishes for privacy. Well, I just hope you are able to specialize in the type of law you love someday! This is rather random, but have you ever seen Adam’s Rib? That’s one of my faovrite films about lawyers…and To Kill a Mockingbird!
I was just thinking how Stephen would make an excellent lawyer in a courtroom drama. He’s always so passionate about whatever he is discussing!
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Believe me, it’s less about my wishes for privacy (although they are a factor) than it is about client confidentiality, etc. I’d just rather err on the side of nondisclosure, you know?
As for practicing in an area of law that I love … well, that’s a bit of a mixed bag, as the areas that interest me most are also the ones that it can be most overwhelming to actually practice. Still, I’m slowly paying down my student loan bills, and I can’t complain too loudly about that.
And don’t even get me started on movies; there are too many to name! To Kill a Mockingbird will always be a fave, but there have been so many good ones over the years, from movies that are really kind of under the radar like The Winslow Boy and In the Name of the Father to ones that are both mainstream and quite masterful in their little (and hilarious) details, like My Cousin Vinny. It’s a broad range, and though I do NOT spend all of my free time focusing on law, there are plenty of options when I do feel like some law-related entertainment. I just re-watched Twelve Angry Men the other day, too; that one has such brilliant performances!
Okay, shutting up now, or I’ll ramble indefinitely.
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Ditto!
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As one who has authored a bio pix on Alexander Hamilton, this makes me squeee. I believe the concept of Judicial Review was originally Hamilton’s (cited in The Federalist) and then taken up by Marshall who was himself an ardent Federalist. Gotta give my boy props.
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