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Notable: the Supremes

 
Published Nov. 11, 2015

Notable

The Supremes

Three new biographies turn the spotlight on influential U.S. Supreme Court justices.

Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Dey Street Books) by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik combines images from the Tumblr of the same name with careful reporting for an irreverent, revealing portrait of the fierce justice.

Showdown: Thurgood Marshall and the Supreme Court Nomination That Changed America (Knopf) by Wil Haygood (The Butler) frames Marshall's remarkable biography around the dramatic, contentious five-day Senate hearing to confirm him as the first African-American Supreme Court justice.

Sisters in Law: How Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Went to the Supreme Court and Changed the World (Harper) by Linda Hirshman is a dual biography that examines the relationship between the justices, one that transcended differences in party, religion, region and culture.

Colette Bancroft, Times book editor