The Nine: Jeffrey Toobin on the Supreme Court

Guy Nelson
10/05/2007 at 12:00 p.m.

The United States Supreme Court convened on Monday for its second full term of the year. The new session begins after a media blitz by Justice Clarence Thomas, whose new book details his 1991 confirmation fight. With the moderating, centrist voice of Sandra Day O'Connor now gone from the Supreme Court, a conservative counterrevolution that had been stymied for 20 years has now begun. So says Jeffrey Toobin in his new book The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court. His book is a behind-the-scenes look at the court, its recent decisions and the personalities of the justices behind them. The Nine is based on interviews with justices and their law clerks, but he isn't allowed to reveal who said what.

Also, the public doesn't think like scientists, so scientists should learn to speak to the public. That's what authors Chris Mooney and Matthew Nisbet say. We'll ask what they mean.

Guests:
Jeffrey Toobin is a lawyer, author, and senior legal analyst for CNN. His new book is The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court. He will speak tonight (Friday) at 7:00 p.m. at the central library.
Chris Mooney is a correspondent for Seed magazine and the author of The Republican War on Science. His latest book is called Storm World: Hurricanes, Politics, and the Battle Over Global Warming. He will speak tonight (Friday) at 7:00 p.m. at the Pacific Science Center.