Rating: 
Summary: Revealing
Review: It took me almost two months to finish this tome but it was worth it. Not only do I now have a clearer understanding of the way the glbt community is treated in the courts, I better understand the legal system in general.
Rating: 
Summary: A "must read"
Review: This book is a must read for anyone interested in the role of the supreme court in the modern lesbian and gay civil rights movement. Meticulously researched, it contains invaluable details about key cases and the roles that various justices have played in the formulation of rationales that either support or undermine gay rights. The authors write in an engaging style that will appeal to nonacademics as well as academics. I literally could not put the book down!
Rating:
Summary: Very informative, but questionable analysis at times
Review: This book was pretty good, and I enjoyed reading it immensely. Most law schools and legal texts tend to just barely discuss legal issues which affect the gay community, if at all. It was actually quite interesting to see the many issues portrayed from the point of the losing side. NOTE: I use the term "losing side" only because in general, the courts have tended to come down with decisions against the gay community.I do have some cause for concern about the book, however. The authors have attempted throughout the book to analyze why the U.S. Supreme Court has decided cases against gays, in many cases without any documentation of the Justices' rationale. The authors then used past practices and comments of the Justices, as well as commentary from friends and colleagues, to "create" the supposed biases against gays which led to the negative decisions. These conclusions may be entirely correct. But some of the arguments presented just defied any logic I could find. Perhaps I am being overly critical, which is entirely possible. As an attorney, I have a hard time accepting conclusions when I do not see the analysis or facts to back them up. I hope that other readers will be able to distinguish between fact and the opinions/conclusions of the authors. With that reservation in mind, I do feel this book is a must read for anyone with an interest in "gay rights," whether you be for or against them. The book demonstrates how the law tends to be slow to recognize the growing changes in society's norms. It also demonstrates that many of these laws which affect smaller groups within our society often lack any kind of logical rationale, and that they are often twisted and selectively enforced to control certain segments of society depending on the public's mood at the time. The bias and hatred of the public over time has been clearly demonstrated by the authors . . . so much so that I at times had to set the book down just to rest my overworked emotions and thoughts. A good and enlightening book; take the chance and read it.
Rating:
Summary: Very informative, but questionable analysis at times
Review: This book was pretty good, and I enjoyed reading it immensely. Most law schools and legal texts tend to just barely discuss legal issues which affect the gay community, if at all. It was actually quite interesting to see the many issues portrayed from the point of the losing side. NOTE: I use the term "losing side" only because in general, the courts have tended to come down with decisions against the gay community. I do have some cause for concern about the book, however. The authors have attempted throughout the book to analyze why the U.S. Supreme Court has decided cases against gays, in many cases without any documentation of the Justices' rationale. The authors then used past practices and comments of the Justices, as well as commentary from friends and colleagues, to "create" the supposed biases against gays which led to the negative decisions. These conclusions may be entirely correct. But some of the arguments presented just defied any logic I could find. Perhaps I am being overly critical, which is entirely possible. As an attorney, I have a hard time accepting conclusions when I do not see the analysis or facts to back them up. I hope that other readers will be able to distinguish between fact and the opinions/conclusions of the authors. With that reservation in mind, I do feel this book is a must read for anyone with an interest in "gay rights," whether you be for or against them. The book demonstrates how the law tends to be slow to recognize the growing changes in society's norms. It also demonstrates that many of these laws which affect smaller groups within our society often lack any kind of logical rationale, and that they are often twisted and selectively enforced to control certain segments of society depending on the public's mood at the time. The bias and hatred of the public over time has been clearly demonstrated by the authors . . . so much so that I at times had to set the book down just to rest my overworked emotions and thoughts. A good and enlightening book; take the chance and read it.
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