The New York Times Book Review - Adam Cohen
…assiduously reported and briskly written…
Philadelphia Inquirer
For readers interested in understanding what makes John Roberts tick-as a devoted husband and father as well as a chief justice-The Chief is a solid work of legal journalism that rewards those willing to read carefully.
New York Review of Books
As Joan Biskupic's invaluable biography shows, Roberts is at once a committed Republican with very conservative policy preferences and ties to the conservative community, and an institutionalist who cares deeply about the nonpartisan character of the Court.
Washington Post
The Chief offers an extraordinarily insightful, thoughtful and accessible analysis of Roberts's personal life, professional career, judicial experience and approach to constitutional interpretation. It is essential reading for anyone who truly wants to understand this pivotal moment in Supreme Court history.
Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer David Maraniss
Joan Biskupic, with clear writing and a deep understanding of her subject, serves as an invaluable guide into the style and substance of Chief Justice John Roberts and his uneven leadership of a polarized and right-leaning Supreme Court. The Chief is a revelation that comes at just the right time.
Atlantic
A well-reported book, it sheds new light...As our attention spans dwindle to each frantic day's headlines, we can forget that the position of chief justice is one of long-term consequence.
New York Times Book Review
Assiduously reported and briskly written...[Biskupic] suggests that [Roberts] is pulled by two often-conflicting instincts. One is ideological: a desire to move the court rightward on race, religion and other issues. The other is institutional: an interest in the court being respected and seen as nonpolitical.
Christian Science Monitor
Biskupic takes readers behind the scenes, revealing for the first time how Roberts swung back and forth in his deliberations before shocking everyone with his conclusion, preserving Obamacare on the slimmest of threads...Among [her] most valuable insights is how hard Roberts strives to be seen as apolitical when, in fact, he is not only savvy about politics but also is leading a body that is, inevitably, political.
Maryland Daily Record
Biskupic makes a compelling case that the past is prologue when interpreting the jurisprudence of Chief Justice John Roberts.
Choice
Well researched, well written, and readable...Strongly recommended for all institutions of higher education.
author of Supreme Power: FranklinRoosevelt vs. Jeff Shesol
This fascinating book is an act of public service: with deep insight and experience, with clarity and sensitivity, Joan Biskupic illuminates the life and mind of a man who wields, in his quiet but determined way, immense power. Biskupic portrays a Chief Justice increasingly at odds with himself-a man deeply devoted to the Court as an impartial institution, but deeply committed to the conservative project of rolling back the rights revolution of previous generations. The Chief is essential reading as John Roberts leads the Court, and with it the nation, through one of the most consequential and contentious eras in its history.
Boston Globe
An approachable volume about subjects often unapproachable. Biskupic, who has covered the Supreme Court for a quarter century, captures the tensions within the group, the interplay among the justices, and the pressures brought to bear on them by outsiders...The Chief is an ample and amiable companion to such insider accounts as The Brethren, the classic 1979 book by Bob Woodward and Scott Armstrong, and The Nine, the influential 2007 book by Jeffrey Toobin.
Kirkus
[Biskupic] is perfectly positioned to dissect the first decade-plus tenure of Chief Justice John Roberts...A thorough...biographical portrait.
Wall Street Journal
Ms. Biskupic is a skillful writer and a diligent scholar, and the John Roberts she presents here is a sympathetic and complex character.
National Review
Justice Roberts's desire to avoid politics while perhaps being unable to do so-is a key theme of Joan Biskupic's new biography...The Chief is unfailingly informative and engaging.
lecturer at Yale Law School andformer New York Tim Linda Greenhouse
Joan Biskupic draws on meticulous reporting and deep knowledge of the Supreme Court to bring us a fascinating real-time portrait of Chief Justice John Roberts, one of the country's most powerful but least known individuals, a man now in a unique position to shape the law in the age of Trump.
host of The Lead with Jake Tapper onCNN Jake Tapper
Delving into the mystery of the Supreme Court and its Chief Justice, Joan Biskupic-perhaps the best Supreme Court reporter in the country-offers a rare and incisive look at the most powerful judge in America. At this crucial time for the Court and country, The Chief offers the first-ever, in-depth look at this important, enigmatic man, exploring the chasm between reputation and reality and bringing us behind the scenes to see how a jurist who seems so steady and in charge often struggles to win his colleagues' confidence and trust.
Publishers Weekly
In-depth...Biskupic's analysis will be closely read by Court watchers on both the Right and Left.
Laurence Tribe
Joan Biskupic has written the definitive account of the consummate lawyer and deft politician at the helm of our nation's judiciary. Avoiding legal jargon while steering clear of slogans and stereotypes, Biskupic paints a highly readable and deeply informative three-dimensional portrait of the man whom fate has placed front and center in an unfolding drama bound to shape American life for decades to come.
Washington Monthly
[Biskupic] makes painfully clear that the defining feature of Roberts's legal career has been his relentless efforts to roll back any measures to combat racial inequality...Biskupic is unfailingly evenhanded, but what she describes is a calculated, sustained assault on the nation's civil rights laws by the most powerful judge in the country
Slate
Magnificent.
From the Publisher
"The Chief offers an extraordinarily insightful, thoughtful and accessible analysis of Roberts's personal life, professional career, judicial experience and approach to constitutional interpretation. It is essential reading for anyone who truly wants to understand this pivotal moment in Supreme Court history."—Washington Post
"Assiduously reported and briskly written...[Biskupic] suggests that [Roberts] is pulled by two often-conflicting instincts. One is ideological: a desire to move the court rightward on race, religion and other issues. The other is institutional: an interest in the court being respected and seen as nonpolitical."—New York Times Book Review
"An approachable volume about subjects often unapproachable. Biskupic, who has covered the Supreme Court for a quarter century, captures the tensions within the group, the interplay among the justices, and the pressures brought to bear on them by outsiders...The Chief is an ample and amiable companion to such insider accounts as The Brethren, the classic 1979 book by Bob Woodward and Scott Armstrong, and The Nine, the influential 2007 book by Jeffrey Toobin."—Boston Globe
"A well-reported book, it sheds new light...As our attention spans dwindle to each frantic day's headlines, we can forget that the position of chief justice is one of long-term consequence."—Atlantic
"As Joan Biskupic's invaluable biography shows, Roberts is at once a committed Republican with very conservative policy preferences and ties to the conservative community, and an institutionalist who cares deeply about the nonpartisan character of the Court."—New York Review of Books
"Biskupic takes readers behind the scenes, revealing for the first time how Roberts swung back and forth in his deliberations before shocking everyone with his conclusion, preserving Obamacare on the slimmest of threads...Among [her] most valuable insights is how hard Roberts strives to be seen as apolitical when, in fact, he is not only savvy about politics but also is leading a body that is, inevitably, political."—Christian Science Monitor
"Ms. Biskupic is a skillful writer and a diligent scholar, and the John Roberts she presents here is a sympathetic and complex character."—Wall Street Journal
"Magnificent."—Slate
"[Biskupic] makes painfully clear that the defining feature of Roberts's legal career has been his relentless efforts to roll back any measures to combat racial inequality...Biskupic is unfailingly evenhanded, but what she describes is a calculated, sustained assault on the nation's civil rights laws by the most powerful judge in the country"—Washington Monthly
"Justice Roberts's desire to avoid politics while perhaps being unable to do so-is a key theme of Joan Biskupic's new biography...The Chief is unfailingly informative and engaging."—National Review
"For readers interested in understanding what makes John Roberts tick-as a devoted husband and father as well as a chief justice-The Chief is a solid work of legal journalism that rewards those willing to read carefully."—Philadelphia Inquirer
"Biskupic makes a compelling case that the past is prologue when interpreting the jurisprudence of Chief Justice John Roberts."—Maryland Daily Record
"Compelling."—"[Biskupic] evaluates Roberts' tenure via the court's mostdisputed cases involving race, voting rights, reproductive rights, and LGBTQrights...An unprecedented glimpse at the interpersonal, and often contentious,relationships that reverberate throughout the court."
"[Biskupic] is perfectly positioned to dissect the first decade-plus tenure of Chief Justice John Roberts...A thorough...biographical portrait."—Kirkus
"In-depth...Biskupic's analysis will be closely read by Court watchers on both the Right and Left."—Publishers Weekly
"Well researched, well written, and readable...Strongly recommended for all institutions of higher education."—Choice
"This fascinating book is an act of public service: with deep insight and experience, with clarity and sensitivity, Joan Biskupic illuminates the life and mind of a man who wields, in his quiet but determined way, immense power. Biskupic portrays a Chief Justice increasingly at odds with himself-a man deeply devoted to the Court as an impartial institution, but deeply committed to the conservative project of rolling back the rights revolution of previous generations. The Chief is essential reading as John Roberts leads the Court, and with it the nation, through one of the most consequential and contentious eras in its history."—Jeff Shesol, author of Supreme Power: FranklinRoosevelt vs. The Supreme Court
"Joan Biskupic, with clear writing and a deep understanding of her subject, serves as an invaluable guide into the style and substance of Chief Justice John Roberts and his uneven leadership of a polarized and right-leaning Supreme Court. The Chief is a revelation that comes at just the right time."—David Maraniss, Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer
"Joan Biskupic draws on meticulous reporting and deep knowledge of the Supreme Court to bring us a fascinating real-time portrait of Chief Justice John Roberts, one of the country's most powerful but least known individuals, a man now in a unique position to shape the law in the age of Trump."—Linda Greenhouse, lecturer at Yale Law School andformer New York Times Supreme Court correspondent
"Joan Biskupic has written the definitive account of the consummate lawyer and deft politician at the helm of our nation's judiciary. Avoiding legal jargon while steering clear of slogans and stereotypes, Biskupic paints a highly readable and deeply informative three-dimensional portrait of the man whom fate has placed front and center in an unfolding drama bound to shape American life for decades to come."—Laurence Tribe, Professor of Constitutional Law,Harvard University
"Delving into the mystery of the Supreme Court and its Chief Justice, Joan Biskupic-perhaps the best Supreme Court reporter in the country-offers a rare and incisive look at the most powerful judge in America. At this crucial time for the Court and country, The Chief offers the first-ever, in-depth look at this important, enigmatic man, exploring the chasm between reputation and reality and bringing us behind the scenes to see how a jurist who seems so steady and in charge often struggles to win his colleagues' confidence and trust."—Jake Tapper, host of The Lead with Jake Tapper onCNN
Kirkus Reviews
2019-01-14
Digging into the life career of the elusive chief justice.
CNN legal analyst Biskupic, who was the Supreme Court correspondent at the Washington Post and has written biographies on Sonia Sotomayor, Antonin Scalia, and Sandra Day O'Connor, is perfectly positioned to dissect the first decade-plus tenure of Chief Justice John Roberts (b. 1955). Appointed by President George W. Bush in 2005 after the sudden death of William Rehnquist, Roberts, at only age 50, was chosen for his conservative bona fides, his Ivy League education, the many cases he had argued before the Supreme Court, and his resistant views on affirmative action and voting rights, among other expressed opinions. Indeed, in his general approach to law, Roberts has proven that he is, as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg declared, "born conservative." Yet he has also made some intriguing decisions—e.g., finding the core of the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare—the provision upholding the individual insurance mandate—constitutional in the watershed case National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius (2012). While his 2013 Selby County v. Holder decision "eviscerating a key section of the Voting Rights Act" addressed what he perceived as the "failure of racial remedies in America"—as Biskupic writes, it "marked the first time since the 19th century that the Supreme Court struck down a civil rights law protecting people based on race"—he seems, on the basis of other rulings, concerned that his court is delineated solely along political lines. After Scalia's death in February 2016, the court was left without a successor for more than 400 days thanks to political maneuvering and the Republican blocking of President Barack Obama's nominee, Merrick Garland—a difficult period for the court. As the author demonstrates in her incisive analysis, the 5-4 "conservative-liberal fault line" has prevailed—e.g., in the upholding of Donald Trump's Muslim ban.
A thorough, albeit somewhat premature, biographical portrait.
