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Our collection of book recommendations on the law covers legal and constitutional issues, justice and the relationship between the two. On the United States side, we have SCOTUS Justice Stephen Breyer, nominated to the Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton, discussing his intellectual influences.  He talks about the importance of context in the work of the Supreme Court.

Jack Rakove, Pulitzer prize-winning historian from Stanford University, chooses his best books on the US constitution, discussing how it came to take on the shape it did and why American citizens are so wedded to it. Journalist Dahlia Lithwick chooses her best books on US Supreme Court Justices.  Meanwhile, Kenneth W Mack, Professor of Law at Harvard University, chooses his best books on race and US law, and discusses the tensions between egalitarianism and exclusion at the heart of US law and politics.

On the UK side, the Secret Barrister, author of The Secret Barrister: Stories of the Law and How It’s Broken chooses their best books on justice and the law, which have helped to shape the way they think. Another barrister, Alex McBride, chooses his best books on trial by jury and former Foreign Secretary David Owen chooses his best books on constitutional reform.

On an international level, Andrew Cayley QC chooses his best books on war crimes and Colleen Murphy of the University of Illinois chooses her best books on transitional justice.

Stephen Lucas, a partner at Linklaters with a focus on the former Soviet Union, chooses his best books on Soviet law, which formed the subject of his PhD thesis.

    The best books on Ruth Bader Ginsburg, recommended by Amanda Tyler

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    The best books on Ruth Bader Ginsburg - My Own Words by Mary Hartnett, Ruth Bader Ginsburg & Wendy W. Williams

    1

    My Own Words
    by Mary Hartnett, Ruth Bader Ginsburg & Wendy W. Williams

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    The best books on Ruth Bader Ginsburg - Conversations with RBG: Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Life, Love, Liberty, and Law by Jeffrey Rosen

    2

    Conversations with RBG: Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Life, Love, Liberty, and Law
    by Jeffrey Rosen

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    The best books on Ruth Bader Ginsburg - I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark by Debbie Levy & Elizabeth Baddeley (illustrator)

    3

    I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark
    by Debbie Levy & Elizabeth Baddeley (illustrator)

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    The best books on Ruth Bader Ginsburg - The RBG Workout: How She Stays Strong . . . and You Can Too! by Bryant Johnson

    4

    The RBG Workout: How She Stays Strong . . . and You Can Too!
    by Bryant Johnson

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    The best books on Ruth Bader Ginsburg - Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue by Amanda Tyler & Ruth Bader Ginsburg

    5

    Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue
    by Amanda Tyler & Ruth Bader Ginsburg

The best books on Ruth Bader Ginsburg, recommended by Amanda Tyler

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933—2020) spent her life working tirelessly for a more just society, says Amanda Tyler, Shannon C. Turner Professor of Law at Berkeley and former law clerk to the Supreme Court Justice. She recommends the best books to read about RBG: her life, her work, and even her personal training regime.

    The best books on The Supreme Court of the United States, recommended by Michael Klarman

  • Read
    The best books on The Supreme Court of the United States - The American Supreme Court by Robert G. McCloskey

    1

    The American Supreme Court
    by Robert G. McCloskey

  • Read
    The best books on The Supreme Court of the United States - John Marshall and the Heroic Age of the Supreme Court by R. Kent Newmyer

    2

    John Marshall and the Heroic Age of the Supreme Court
    by R. Kent Newmyer

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    The best books on The Supreme Court of the United States - Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story: Statesman of the Old Republic by R. Kent Newmyer

    3

    Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story: Statesman of the Old Republic
    by R. Kent Newmyer

  • Read
    The best books on The Supreme Court of the United States - The Dred Scott Case by Don Fehrenbacher

    4

    The Dred Scott Case
    by Don Fehrenbacher

  • Read
    The best books on The Supreme Court of the United States - Simple Justice: The History of Brown v. Board of Education and Black America's Struggle for Equality by Richard Kluger

    5

    Simple Justice: The History of Brown v. Board of Education and Black America's Struggle for Equality
    by Richard Kluger

  • Read
    The best books on The Supreme Court of the United States - Justice Lewis F. Powell: A Biography by John Jeffries

    6

    Justice Lewis F. Powell: A Biography
    by John Jeffries

The best books on The Supreme Court of the United States, recommended by Michael Klarman

It may be nice to think of America’s Supreme Court justices as neutral interpreters of the law, but the reality is that they are a reflection of the cultural and historical moment in which they operate. Legal scholar and author Michael Klarman, Kirkland & Ellis Professor at Harvard Law School, recommends the best books to learn more about the Supreme Court of the United States and its history.

    The best books on The Rule of Law, recommended by Jonathan Sumption

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    The best books on The Rule of Law - Oresteia by Aeschylus

    1

    Oresteia
    by Aeschylus

  • Read
    The best books on The Rule of Law - Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes

    2

    Leviathan
    by Thomas Hobbes

  • Read
    The best books on The Rule of Law - On Liberty by John Stuart Mill

    3

    On Liberty
    by John Stuart Mill

  • Read
    The best books on The Rule of Law - Justice for Hedgehogs by Ronald Dworkin

    4

    Justice for Hedgehogs
    by Ronald Dworkin

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    The best books on The Rule of Law - The Rule of Law by Tom Bingham

    5

    The Rule of Law
    by Tom Bingham

The best books on The Rule of Law, recommended by Jonathan Sumption

What is the relationship between law and human society? Does the rule of law entail certain rights? What are the justifications for legal constraints on human conduct? Jonathan Sumption, a former Justice of the UK’s Supreme Court, discusses these and other issues related to the rule of law.

    The best books on Justice and the Law, recommended by The Secret Barrister

  • Read
    The best books on Justice and the Law - A Time To Kill by John Grisham

    1

    A Time To Kill
    by John Grisham

  • Read
    The best books on Justice and the Law - The Rule of Law by Tom Bingham

    2

    The Rule of Law
    by Tom Bingham

  • Read
    The best books on Justice and the Law - The Children Act by Ian McEwan

    3

    The Children Act
    by Ian McEwan

  • Read
    The best books on Justice and the Law - Why We Get the Wrong Politicians by Isabel Hardman

    4

    Why We Get the Wrong Politicians
    by Isabel Hardman

  • Read
    The best books on Justice and the Law - Law and Disorder: Confessions of a Pupil Barrister by Tim Kevan

    5

    Law and Disorder: Confessions of a Pupil Barrister
    by Tim Kevan

The best books on Justice and the Law, recommended by The Secret Barrister

The English legal system is struggling to ensure justice. Drastic government cuts and disastrous reforms have led to innocent people being let down by the system again and again. Reporting anonymously from the front line, The Secret Barrister sees it as their duty to keep the public informed. Here they discuss the books that have shaped the way they think about justice and its relation to the law.

    The best books on Transitional Justice, recommended by Colleen Murphy

  • Read
    The best books on Transitional Justice - Transitional Justice by Ruti G Teitel

    1

    Transitional Justice
    by Ruti G Teitel

  • Read
    The best books on Transitional Justice - A Human Being Died That Night by Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela

    2

    A Human Being Died That Night
    by Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela

  • Read
    The best books on Transitional Justice - Atrocity, Punishment, and International Law by Mark A Drumbl

    3

    Atrocity, Punishment, and International Law
    by Mark A Drumbl

  • Read
    The best books on Transitional Justice - Imperfect Justice: An East-West Diary by Inga Markovits

    4

    Imperfect Justice: An East-West Diary
    by Inga Markovits

  • Read
    The best books on Transitional Justice - Brothers of the Gun: A Memoir of the Syrian Civil War by Marwan Hisham and Molly Crabapple

    5

    Brothers of the Gun: A Memoir of the Syrian Civil War
    by Marwan Hisham and Molly Crabapple

The best books on Transitional Justice, recommended by Colleen Murphy

When a period of war or oppression draws to a close, how should a country face up to past wrongdoing while creating a future free of conflict? Colleen Murphy—professor of law, philosophy and political science at the University of Illinois—discusses five books that examine the issues at the heart of ‘transitional justice.’

    The best books on The US Constitution, recommended by Jack Rakove

  • Read
    The best books on The US Constitution - Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787 by Gordon S. Wood

    1

    Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787
    by Gordon S. Wood

  • Read
    The best books on The US Constitution - Novus Ordo Seclorum by Forrest McDonald

    2

    Novus Ordo Seclorum
    by Forrest McDonald

  • Read
    The best books on The US Constitution - Plain, Honest Men: The Making of the American Constitution by Richard Beeman

    3

    Plain, Honest Men: The Making of the American Constitution
    by Richard Beeman

  • Read
    The best books on The US Constitution - A Revolution in Favor of Government by Max M Edling

    4

    A Revolution in Favor of Government
    by Max M Edling

  • Read
    The best books on The US Constitution - Ratification: The People Debate the Constitution, 1787-1788 by Pauline Maier

    5

    Ratification: The People Debate the Constitution, 1787-1788
    by Pauline Maier

The best books on The US Constitution, recommended by Jack Rakove

The Pulitzer prize-winning history professor tells us how the Constitution came to be written and ratified and explains why, after more than 200 years, Americans are still so deeply wedded to it.

    The best books on US Supreme Court Justices, recommended by Dahlia Lithwick

  • Read
    The best books on US Supreme Court Justices - Supreme Power by Jeff Shesol

    1

    Supreme Power
    by Jeff Shesol

  • Read
    The best books on US Supreme Court Justices - Justice Brennan by Seth Stern and Stephen Wermiel

    2

    Justice Brennan
    by Seth Stern and Stephen Wermiel

  • Read
    The best books on US Supreme Court Justices - Becoming Justice Blackmun by Linda Greenhouse

    3

    Becoming Justice Blackmun
    by Linda Greenhouse

  • Read
    The best books on US Supreme Court Justices - American Original by Joan Biskupic

    4

    American Original
    by Joan Biskupic

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    The best books on US Supreme Court Justices - My Grandfather’s Son by Clarence Thomas

    5

    My Grandfather’s Son
    by Clarence Thomas

The best books on US Supreme Court Justices, recommended by Dahlia Lithwick

Who are the men and women in black robes who sit on America’s highest judicial bench? Legal correspondent Dahlia Lithwick recommends the best books on the Supreme Court justices of the United States.

    Stephen Breyer on his Intellectual Influences

  • Read
    Stephen Breyer on his Intellectual Influences - Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville

    1

    Democracy in America
    by Alexis de Tocqueville

  • Read
    Stephen Breyer on his Intellectual Influences - The Education of Henry Adams by Henry Adams

    2

    The Education of Henry Adams
    by Henry Adams

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    Stephen Breyer on his Intellectual Influences - How to Do Things with Words by JL Austin

    3

    How to Do Things with Words
    by JL Austin

  • Read
    Stephen Breyer on his Intellectual Influences - The Plague by Albert Camus

    4

    The Plague
    by Albert Camus

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    Stephen Breyer on his Intellectual Influences - In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust

    5

    In Search of Lost Time
    by Marcel Proust

Stephen Breyer on his Intellectual Influences

US Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer talks about the books that have influenced his thinking and explains why reading widely, including literature, is essential for judges and lawyers.

    The best books on Race and the Law, recommended by Kenneth W. Mack

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    The best books on Race and the Law - Civic Ideals: Conflicting Visions of Citizenship in U.S. History by Rogers M. Smith

    1

    Civic Ideals: Conflicting Visions of Citizenship in U.S. History
    by Rogers M. Smith

  • Read
    The best books on Race and the Law - At America's Gates: Chinese Immigration during the Exclusion Era, 1882-1943 by Erika Lee

    2

    At America's Gates: Chinese Immigration during the Exclusion Era, 1882-1943
    by Erika Lee

  • Read
    The best books on Race and the Law - Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America by Mae M. Ngai

    3

    Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America
    by Mae M. Ngai

  • Read
    The best books on Race and the Law - Lift Every Voice: The NAACP and the Making of the Civil Rights Movement by Patricia Sullivan

    4

    Lift Every Voice: The NAACP and the Making of the Civil Rights Movement
    by Patricia Sullivan

  • Read
    The best books on Race and the Law - The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

    5

    The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
    by Michelle Alexander

The best books on Race and the Law, recommended by Kenneth W. Mack

Kenneth W. Mack, the  Lawrence D. Biele Professor of Law at Harvard University, discusses the warring ideals of egalitarianism and exclusion at the heart of US politics and law, from the founding of the nation up to the present day.

    The best books on War Crimes, recommended by Andrew Cayley

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    The best books on War Crimes - Nuremberg by Airey Neave

    1

    Nuremberg
    by Airey Neave

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    The best books on War Crimes - Five Days in London by John Lukacs

    2

    Five Days in London
    by John Lukacs

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    The best books on War Crimes - Nelson by Christopher Hibbert

    3

    Nelson
    by Christopher Hibbert

  • Read
    The best books on War Crimes - The Poems of Wilfred Owen by Wilfred Owen

    4

    The Poems of Wilfred Owen
    by Wilfred Owen

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    The best books on War Crimes - If This Is a Man by Primo Levi

    5

    If This Is a Man
    by Primo Levi

The best books on War Crimes, recommended by Andrew Cayley

Having served as the International Co-Prosecutor of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal in Cambodia, Andrew Cayley QC draws on his firsthand experience to nominate the best books on war crimes.

    The best books on Trial By Jury, recommended by Alex McBride

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    The best books on Trial By Jury - Howe & Hummel by Richard H. Rovere

    1

    Howe & Hummel
    by Richard H. Rovere

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    The best books on Trial By Jury - The Trial by Sadakat Kadri

    2

    The Trial
    by Sadakat Kadri

  • Read
    The best books on Trial By Jury - The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V Higgins

    3

    The Friends of Eddie Coyle
    by George V Higgins

  • Read
    The best books on Trial By Jury - The Tyrannicide Brief by Geoffrey Robertson

    4

    The Tyrannicide Brief
    by Geoffrey Robertson

  • Read
    The best books on Trial By Jury - Codes of the Underworld: How Criminals Communicate by Diego Gambetta

    5

    Codes of the Underworld: How Criminals Communicate
    by Diego Gambetta

The best books on Trial By Jury, recommended by Alex McBride

Alex McBride, criminal barrister and author of Defending the Guilty, chooses books that illustrate the history of trial by jury. He points to influential cases in British legal history, and shows how poor regulation of the legal profession in the 19th century resulted in some questionable practices.  

    The best books on Soviet Law, recommended by Stephen Lucas

  • Read
    The best books on Soviet Law - Soviet Workers and the Collapse of Perestroika by Donald Filtzer

    1

    Soviet Workers and the Collapse of Perestroika
    by Donald Filtzer

  • Read
    The best books on Soviet Law - Lenin's Tomb by David Remnick

    2

    Lenin's Tomb
    by David Remnick

  • Read
    The best books on Soviet Law - The Socialist Offensive by R W Davies

    3

    The Socialist Offensive
    by R W Davies

  • Read
    The best books on Soviet Law - Communists and Their Law by John N Hazard

    4

    Communists and Their Law
    by John N Hazard

  • Read
    The best books on Soviet Law - The History of International Law in Russia 1647-1917 by V E Grabar

    5

    The History of International Law in Russia 1647-1917
    by V E Grabar

The best books on Soviet Law, recommended by Stephen Lucas

Dr Stephen Lucas is a partner in the banking group of an international law firm, Linklaters LLP and a student of Soviet law. He recommends books on communist legislation in the former USSR

    The best books on Constitutional Reform, recommended by David Owen

  • Read
    The best books on Constitutional Reform - Unlocking Democracy by Peter Facey

    1

    Unlocking Democracy
    by Peter Facey

  • Read
    The best books on Constitutional Reform - The New Constitution by Vernon Bogdanor

    2

    The New Constitution
    by Vernon Bogdanor

  • Read
    The best books on Constitutional Reform - The Accidental Constitution by Peter Norman

    3

    The Accidental Constitution
    by Peter Norman

  • Read
    The best books on Constitutional Reform - A Stranger In Europe by Stephen Wall

    4

    A Stranger In Europe
    by Stephen Wall

  • Read
    The best books on Constitutional Reform - The House of Lords by Donald Shell

    5

    The House of Lords
    by Donald Shell

The best books on Constitutional Reform, recommended by David Owen

The founder of the British Social Democratic Party (SDP) says that the House of Lords should be a fully elected body, and that Tony Blair’s careerism is a disgrace. He selects five books on constitutional reform

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