Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Out of Order: Stories from the History of the Supreme Court
    Unavailable
    Out of Order: Stories from the History of the Supreme Court
    Unavailable
    Out of Order: Stories from the History of the Supreme Court
    Audiobook7 hours

    Out of Order: Stories from the History of the Supreme Court

    Published by Penguin Random House Audio

    3/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    "I called this book Out of Order because it reflects my goal, which is to share a different side of the Supreme Court. Most people know the Court only as it exists between bangs of the gavel, when the Court comes to order to hear arguments or give opinions. But the stories of the Court and the Justices that come from the 'out of order' moments add to the richness of the Court as both a branch of our government and a human institution."-Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
     
    From Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman to sit on the United States Supreme Court, comes this fascinating book about the history and evolution of the highest court in the land.
     
    Out of Order sheds light on the centuries of change and upheaval that transformed the Supreme Court from its uncertain beginnings into the remarkable institution that thrives and endures today. From the early days of circuit-riding, when justices who also served as trial judges traveled thousands of miles per year on horseback to hear cases, to the changes in civil rights ushered in by Earl Warren and Thurgood Marshall; from foundational decisions such as Marbury vs. Madison to modern-day cases such as Hamdi vs. Rumsfeld, Justice O'Connor weaves together stories and lessons from the history of the Court, charting turning points and pivotal moments that have helped define our nation's progress.
     
    With unparalleled insight and her unique perspective as a history-making figure, Justice O'Connor takes us on a personal exploration, painting vivid pictures of Justices in history, including Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., one of the greatest jurists of all time; Thurgood Marshall, whose understated and succinct style would come to transform oral argument; William O. Douglas, called "The Lone Ranger" because of his impassioned and frequent dissents; and John Roberts, whom Justice O'Connor considers to be the finest practitioner of oral argument she has ever witnessed in Court. We get a rare glimpse into the Supreme Court's inner workings: how cases are chosen for hearing; the personal relationships that exist among the Justices; and the customs and traditions, both public and private, that bind one generation of jurists to the next-from the seating arrangements at Court lunches to the fiercely competitive basketball games played in the Court Building's top-floor gymnasium, the so-called "highest court in the land."
     
    Wise, candid, and assured, Out of Order is a rich offering of inspiring stories of one of our country's most important institutions, from one of our country's most respected pioneers.
     
    "In this delightful collection of tales, Sandra Day O'Connor shows us the personal side of the Supreme Court while reminding us of the critical role the Court plays. It's a lovely book-and a valuable treasure for all Americans."-Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMar 5, 2013
    ISBN9780385360807
    Unavailable
    Out of Order: Stories from the History of the Supreme Court

    Related to Out of Order

    Related audiobooks

    American Government For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Judging The Judges

      Jul 27, 2023

      LAST YEAR, A DIVISIONAL Court of the High Court, comprised of a lord justice (a regular judge of the Court of Appeal) and a High Court judge, ruled that the government’s Rwanda plan was lawful. On 29 June, the Court of Appeal reversed the High Court’

      3 min read

    • Article

      First Lady Of The Law

      Sep 28, 2023

      BY THE TIME YOU READ this, Dame Sue Carr will have assumed office as Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, or Lady Chief Justice, should it be decided to alter the venerable title. As is the modern public sector custom, the job was advertised onli

      3 min read

    • Article

      Truth-telling And A Path To Healing

      Oct 11, 2021

      The Walnut Street Bridge in Chattanooga, Tennessee, was the site of a horrendous lynching in 1906. A new memorial hopes to tell the full story.

      2 min read

    • Article

      Trump Versus the Judiciary

      Jan 13, 2019

      Trump Versus the Judiciary
      3 min read

    • Article

      Judge Moseneke Is Courageous

      Jan 10, 2024

      FORMER Deputy Chief Justice, Dikgang Moseneke, has been appointed as an ad-hoc judge to join the 15 regular judges of the International Court Of Justice (ICJ) to hear South Africa’s application for Israel’s military assault on Gaza to be declared as

      2 min read

    • Article

      Lives Of The Justices: Two Supreme Court Biographies

      Apr 5, 2019

      Two new books – on Sandra Day O'Connor and John Roberts – shed light on the personalities and motivations of two highly accomplished jurists.

      3 min read

    • Article

      Minority Report: How Justices From Harlan To Breyer Shaped Legal Opinion

      Jan 27, 2022

      With Justice Stephen Breyer announcing his retirement Thursday, his replacement will follow in the footsteps of every justice before them by taking their place on the lowest rung of the highest court in the land. This new justice – early favorites in

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Juror's Job

      May 1, 2023

      The Juror's Job
      4 min read

    • Article

      At Impeachment Trial, Chief Justice Roberts May Have More Prestige Than Power

      Jan 10, 2020

      While some envision a major role for the Supreme Court's chief justice, modern precedent would suggest otherwise.

      4 min read

    • Article

      Federal Judge Richard Posner, A Leading Legal Voice, Retiring From Bench

      Sep 1, 2017

      One of the nation's most influential judges, Posner has written more than 3,300 opinions in nearly 36 years on the bench, along with scores of books.

      1 min read

    • Article

      A MAGA Judiciary

      Dec 5, 2023

      A MAGA Judiciary
      7 min read

    • Article

      Life After Life

      Dec 4, 2023

      Life After Life
      8 min read

    • Article

      Everything She Did Made History: Sandra Day O’Connor’s Legacy

      Dec 1, 2023

      Although the United States was founded, as John Adams once said, to be “a government of laws and not of men,” for more than two centuries it was almost exclusively men who wrote and interpreted those laws. That was until Sandra Day O’Connor, raised o

      9 min read

    Reviews for Out of Order

    3/5

    44 ratings12 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      I listened to the audiobook version. I think that was more entertaining simply because Sandra Day O'Commor is a nice story teller. If you are reading this book you have to keep in mind that this is written by a lawyer and judge not a professional novelist. This did give me great insight to the Supreme Court and I would listen to it again.
    • 1/5
      This book just sucked. If you are looking for personal anecdotes or a personal memoir, look to the recent memoir by John Paul Stevens and don't waste your money on this. Justice O'Connor has an amazing legacy but this book tarnishes it. She basically cut and paste the Supreme Court Wikipedia and shares lifeless snippets about the Court thru history.
    • 4/5
      Since I enjoyed reading Justice O'Connor's book Lazy B, which I read 18 May 2007, when I saw this book I decided to read it. This is an easy-to-read book, not very erudite but telling of interesting things re the Supreme Court and its history. She talks about important Court cases, such as Marbury v. Madison, the Dred Scott case, Brown v. Board of Education, et al. (but not a word about Bush v. Gore) and discusses 'larger than life' justices such as Oliver Wendell Holmes, Stephen J. Field, James McReynolds, and William O. Douglas. It is pleasant reading and at the end she sets out the text of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and its amendments so I read those--always a good thing to do periodically. The book is written almost conversationally and you sure don't have to be a lawyer to understand anything she says.
    • 2/5
      I was very disappointed by this book. Being written by a Supreme Court Justice, I expected it to be more than it was - possibly to have some insider knowledge and interesting political ideas about the cases O'Connor had tried.

      What I got was a book that any college student could write after a semester of Constitutional Law.

      I found the book to be patronizing (if you're over the age of fifteen), poorly written, and containing little of interest. I might recommend it for middle school students who had never read anything about the Supreme Court, but there's nothing to recommend it for anything other than that.

      Truly disappointing.
    • 4/5
      This is a short and painless history of American Supreme Court. I teach at a local junior college and I knew a lot of information presented here already but it did serve as a nice review and I did pick up several new morsels of information. This would be an ideal book for a young person or even an older person that wanted a greater knowledge, appreciation and understanding of the American judicial system.
    • 2/5
      I was very disappointed by this book. Being written by a Supreme Court Justice, I expected it to be more than it was - possibly to have some insider knowledge and interesting political ideas about the cases O'Connor had tried.

      What I got was a book that any college student could write after a semester of Constitutional Law.

      I found the book to be patronizing (if you're over the age of fifteen), poorly written, and containing little of interest. I might recommend it for middle school students who had never read anything about the Supreme Court, but there's nothing to recommend it for anything other than that.

      Truly disappointing.
    • 2/5
      A little boring. Much too little about the modern period to my taste.
    • 3/5
      Were I to tell you that the history behind the Supreme Court of the United States getting it’s first frozen yogurt machine was mesmerizing, you would ask me for a drug screen. Were I to tell you that the court’s first justices traveled the nation’s roads, more like paths really, in order to hear cases, you might ask if I was making this all up. Were I to tell you that from time to time the justices had no choice in their journey but to share not only a room, but also a bed with each other or even fellow travelers, total strangers, in the taverns and lodges along the way, you might whisper to your friends, “Bless him”. Don’t take my word for it, but rather read Out of Order: Stories from the History of the Supreme Court, and take the word of The Honorable Sandra Day O’Connor, Retired Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the United States.The gravity of Justice O’Connor’s book is generated by a deep love and admiration of the constitution, the law, and this attempt at self-governance Thomas Jefferson called the “American Experiment”. The precision of a great intellect and scholar, along with the compassion of a grandmother’s voice allow Justice O’Connor to help us appreciate, value and understand our founding fathers’ gift of freedom and self-determination.Her appointment to the bench by President Reagan in 1981 forced folks of all political persuasions to rethink their understanding of the reality of the day. Justice O’Connor’s response to the questions of the day was not to respond, but rather to simply be what she was. The ability to simply be genuine is what made her such a great jurist, and is also the other main contributing factor to her book. Her awe of the great men to proceed her on the court, as well as her excitement for those that followed her, especially the current court’s three women, was a palpable as a child’s anticipation of Christmas. And it was a window into the sacrifice that all nine members of the Supreme Court offer as a service to the country and legal system they love. Any judge, regardless of the relative power or anonymity of their bench, seeks to listen dispassionately to the facts of the case and impartially apply the law to those facts. All judges hunt the equilibrium between being an active member of society, and at the same time maintain a distance that allows them to protect their objectivity. For those occupying a seat on the highest court in the land this creates an incredible isolation. Every word they utter or write, every decision they make, regardless of how personal or trivial, is believed to be a microscope viewing the judge’s soul and offering insight in predicting how they may rule. To be willing to be so alone is a great sacrifice and demands our thanks and respect for the crucial role they play in our democracy.
    • 3/5
      This is a simple, straightforward, short book. Each chapter starts at the beginning, with George Washington’s six judge court. From there, we get a dutiful, linear threads about the Court’s transformation over the years to a nine-seat bench, the history of the building, the lives of prominent judges, the milestone cases, and the personalities of the some of the current justices. That’s pretty much it. There’s not a lot of depth here, but the little tidbits are still fun to read. There’s also a fair amount of repetition, especially when it comes to the author’s own tenure at the court. If you’re a Supreme Court buff, then there’s nothing new here. If like me, you’re not, then read ahead. It’s a short but informative trip.
    • 2/5
      Superficial but DisappointingOut of Order is far from it. It is a highly structured, superficial and trivial summary of the history of the Supreme Court. It continually returns to the era of George Washington, first to list all the Supreme Court justices named by every president, in order, and then back again to list all the buildings the Supreme Court has ever occupied, from George Washington's administration to the present building, inaugurated during the Depression. Then it's back for a tour of all the variations of the oath of office through the years. Later - how justices retire through the ages..For the major public discourse of the first woman Supreme Court justice, I was hoping for some sort of insight into the all-male enclave. Instead, we get a history that pretty much anybody with wikipedia could have written. A high school textbook lovesong to the Supreme Court. This is a badly misnamed book. At one point, Justice O'Connor describes the tradition of all the justices shaking hands every time they deliberate. This, she says, results in a wearying 36 handshakes every time. Well, last time I checked, there were nine justices, who would have to shake hands with eight people each, for a total more like 72. How she arrived at 36 is worrying. Makes you wonder (again) about some of the decisions that came out of that court.The one thing Justice O'Connor could have offered us was the insider's view of the goings on at the Supreme Court Building. Unfortunately, the deepest we get is her revelation that (junior) Justice Kagan has used her position as manager of the cafeteria to introduce yogurt and pretzels to the Supreme Court. I'm sure TMZ will pick up on this any day now.Finally, the book suddenly ends at page 131. That's it. That's all there is, except for a reprinting of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, which is probably not why you bought this book. In fact ,there is no reason to buy this book, as anyone with access to wikipedia could put together the same string of trivia. The great, outlandish characters like Holmes and Douglas get anecdotal treatment well beneath their worth, and you can get that from their biographies - but not here.The Supreme Court deserves better, especially from someone who mentions repeatedly that she was the first woman to serve, and that she served for 25 years. The result is less than insightful.
    • 3/5
      It was okay, but kind of hard to classify. It wasn't a memoir and not an in depth history, more like a collection of sketches about various aspects of the U.S. Supreme Court: some of its memorable justices, its firsts, and the traditions of the Court.O'Connor's voice isn't scholarly, but it isn't quite conversational. I did feel that she rambled a bit and ran out of things to say, especially since she padded the end by putting in both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.Overall, it was a fast and informative read about the quietest branch of the U.S. Federal Government.
    • 3/5
      I have to echo the other reviews, this book was not what I hoped. It was repetitive. Some stories are repeated several times throughout the text. And while I loved the colorful stories and factual information, particularly the section on SCOTUS humor, the book was ultimately very basic and lacked insight and detail. Finally, I could have done without Justice O'Connor's unnecessary and somewhat cheesy editorializing to the tune of "Can you imagine?!" "Things are certainly different now!"