The People Rising: The Campaign Against the Bork Nomination

"A fascinating chronicle of the remarkable and diverse coalition of individuals and organizations which came together to fight the Bork nomination."

Pertschuk and Schaetzel demonstrate how a diverse array of citizen advocacy groups formed a campaign against Robert Bork's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court. The authors stress the coalition's strategies, conflicts, and key maneuvers. They show the monumental process of achieving an anti-Bork consensus among coalition members. A key element was a high degree of unity from groups within Washington and grassroots networks. Ethan Bronner's Battle for Justice: How the Bork Nomination Shook America ( LJ 9/1/89) complements this work. Bronner emphasizes the Senate hearings and Bork's interpretations of the Constitution; these authors focus on how the campaign against Bork was substantially different from other 1980s liberal citizens' campaigns. This book is highly recommended to understand democratic processes in the 1980s. See also Robert Bork's own account of his nomination experience, The Tempting of America ( LJ 11/1/89).
- Ed. --Steven Puro, St. Louis Univ.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.