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“I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.” – Groucho Marx

Allegiance by Kermit Roosevelt

The Supreme Court at War – 5 stars

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Caswell “Cash” Harrison is in his last year of law school at Columbia when the US enters World War II. Unable to join the military due to a medical problem, he searches for another way to serve his country and make a difference to the war effort. Through acquaintances and connections in his hometown of Philadelphia, he is offered a position as a law clerk to one of the Supreme Court Justices for a year. Cash is urged to take the opportunity, but he soon finds that the road to justice is not always as clear cut as he would want to believe as cases decided before the Court are often more about the war, politics, and ulterior motives than constitutional law. Cash soon suspects there is something more sinister to the selection of clerks and the deciding of cases to be heard before the Court than is apparent from the outside, and believes he could be in danger if he continues to investigate those suspicions.

There are elements of historical fact, fiction, legal thriller, conspiracy, and mystery all woven into this book as told from the viewpoint of the somewhat idealistic and naive main character. Thrown into the deep end of the Washington shark tank, he’s unprepared for the environment in which he finds himself. There are also elements of a coming-of-age story as Cash grows into his new position and learns that secrets are shared and favors traded as part of the workings behind the scenes of government. After getting off to a slow start with a bit of nostalgia for the time and some flowery prose, the book picks up the pace and moves along swiftly once Cash finds his way to Washington and his desk at the Supreme Court.

The important focus of the book is the background information about the major cases that come to the Supreme Court as part of the war effort, more specifically those dealing with the detention and internment of Japanese Americans living on the West Coast. Other important cases of the era are mentioned, some in depth, such as those dealing with the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ refusal to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and the rulings that allowed the trial of German spies captured on US soil to be tried in military courts rather than civilian courts.

There are appearances by many historical characters including J. Edgar Hoover and his number two man, Clyde Tolson, Hugo Black and Felix Frankfurter of the Supreme Court, Attorney General Biddle, and various members of the Department of Justice and Department of War. The author has included an extensive note at the end of the book pointing out where fact ends and fiction begins for each of the supporting characters mentioned in the story.

To be entertained by a book is a joy, but to be both entertained and educated is a greater one. This book shows what goes into background manipulations, thought processes, political realities, and trade offs that occur as part of the workings of both the courts and the federal government in general when dealing with the legal system. There is no reason to believe that the basics of the processes have changed much in the intervening years.

Highly recommended for those interested in the history of the World War II era, Supreme Court processes and landmark cases of the early 1940s, and anyone enjoying a complex thriller.

A free copy of this ebook was provided by the publisher for review purposes.

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