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Book Reviews: John Dean: The Rehnquist Choice


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THE REHNQUIST CHOICE:
The Untold Story of the Nixon Appointment That Redefined the Supreme Court

The explosive, never-before-revealed story of how William Rehnquist became a Supreme Court Justice, told by the man responsible for his candidacy.

William Rehnquist has played a pivotal role on the Supreme Court bench for three decades. Leading a conservative majority that has dramatically shifted the court to the right, he presided over the impeachment trial of Bill Clinton and even spearheaded the decision to shut down the Florida recount of the 2000 presidential election. In a strange twist of history, he owes his job to none other than John Dean, best known as the star witness of the Watergate hearings, and author of the bestselling Blind Ambition. It was Dean who lobbied for the little-known Assistant Attorney General, and Dean who set off an improbable chain of events that resulted in Richard Nixon's decision to make Rehnquist his final Supreme Court nominee in 1971.

In an unprecedented look behind the scenes at how a court candidate wins presidential backing, The Rehnquist Choice tells the dramatic story of a crucial turning point in our history.

During the Watergate hearings, John Dean's televised testimony was seen by more than 80 million viewers. Today he writes for Salon.com, MSNBC.com, and "Writ," a popular online legal magazine on FindLaw.com. The creator and co-producer of The Pentagon Papers, a docudrama to star Alec Baldwin, he continues to be a sought-after guest on national television.


 Review and Interview  
TELLING THE STORY OF JUSTICE REHNQUIST'S NOMINATION:
A REVIEW OF JOHN DEAN'S THE REHNQUIST CHOICE
FindLaw columnist and book reviewer Edward Lazarus discusses John Dean's recent book on President Richard Nixon's decision to nominate William Rehnquist to the Supreme Court. Lazarus weighs in on both how the book adds to the historical record, and what it tells us about Rehnquist's character.
Friday, Nov. 02, 2001

AN INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR AND FORMER WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL JOHN DEAN
FindLaw columnist, attorney and author Julie Hilden interviews fellow FindLaw columnist and former White House Counsel John Dean on his new book, The Rehnquist Choice: The Untold Story of the Nixon Appointment That Redefined the Supreme Court (Free Press 2001). The book details, among many other revelations, how, prior to his nomination, Rehnquist participated in a Nixon scheme to "unpack" the Court by getting rid of liberal Justices; how Dean himself was influential in Rehnquist's nomination; and how Nixon almost nominated the Court's first woman Justice in lieu of Rehnquist.
Thursday, Nov. 01, 2001

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