Review: The Hidden History of the Supreme Court and the Betrayal of America

The Hidden History of the Supreme Court and the Betrayal of America by Thom Hartman

Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2019. Paperback, 192 pages.

This book opens with a look at the philosophical ideas the United States’ founders borrowed from the likes of Montesquieu and Locke as well as ideas borrowed from the Iroquois Confederacy.  It then moves on to describe the views on the Supreme Court from The Federalist Papers and how early cases, mainly Marbury v. Madison set the tone for the practice of Judicial Review and thus placed the Supreme Court as the final law of the land instead of Congress.  Then Hartman transitions into proving his thesis, which boils down to the idea that the Supreme Court members are out for themselves, not serving the people.  Following evidence from over 200 years worth of court cases he uses to support his claims, Hartman then proposes ways to take this power back.

While the book opened with a history lesson found in nearly every American Government textbook, everything that follows is divisive. Hard-core liberals will likely agree with everything Hartman covers, which is not surprising given he is a progressive radio host. On the opposite hand, hard-core conservatives are likely going to disagree with much of the book.  However, the majority will agree with parts and disagree with others. Politics aside, Hartman provided evidence to support his thesis by looking at cases such as Alexander Hamilton’s defense, Roe v. Wade, and the 2000 Election. That said, as someone who studied both history and political science, I would have loved more details as this book was rather short for its lofty goal and I felt there could have been more depth.  To help with that, if anyone feels as I do, all of his sources are cited and would be easy to locate for further information.

This review is based on a copy provided by FSB Associates.

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