How America’s Supreme Court became so politicised
And what you can expect it to do next
EARL WARREN was the 20th century’s most consequential American jurist. During his nearly 16-year tenure as chief justice, the Supreme Court ruled, in Brown v Board of Education, that segregation was unlawful; in Gideon v Wainwright, that states must provide attorneys to indigent criminal defendants; in Miranda v Arizona, that police must inform suspects that they have the right to an attorney and to remain silent; and, in Reynolds v Sims, that legislative districts within a state must comprise roughly equal populations. All of those positions today seem uncontroversial; all were furiously contested at the time.
This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline “And Brett makes five”
Briefing September 15th 2018
From the September 15th 2018 edition
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