Storming the Court - by Brandt Goldstein (Paperback)

About the Book

Subtitle in hardcover printing: How a band of Yale law students sued the President--and won.

Book Synopsis

The David vs. Goliath story of the unflagging Yale Law School students who in 1992 fought the U.S. Government all the way to the Supreme Court.

In 1992, three hundred innocent Haitian men, women, and children who had qualified for political asylum in the United States were detained at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba--and told they might never be freed. Charismatic democracy activist Yvonne Pascal and her fellow refugees had no contact with the outside world, no lawyers, and no hope...until a group of inspired Yale Law School students vowed to free them.

Pitting the students and their untested professor Harold Koh against Kenneth Starr, the Justice Department, the Pentagon, and Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton, this real-life legal thriller takes the reader from the halls of Yale and the federal courts of New York to the slums of Port-au-Prince and the windswept hills of Guantánamo Bay and ultimately to the U.S. Supreme Court. Written with grace and passion, Storming the Court captures the emotional highs and despairing lows of a legal education like no other--a high-stakes courtroom campaign against the White House in the name of the greatest of American values: freedom.

Review Quotes

"A gripping and psychologically insightful narrative . . . which combines constitutional drama, superb reporting, and shrewd insights from beginning to end." -- Jeffrey Rosen, author of The Most Democratic Branch and The Unwanted Gaze

"A revealing look at the legal system, a compelling human rights story, and an inspirational tale of dedicated people who refuse to accept the status quo." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"A timely and passionate account." -- Publishers Weekly

"Brilliant. A compelling story that shows how the legal system can be used to achieve justice. Every law student should read this book." -- Professor Erwin Chemerinsky, Duke Law School

"Fast-paced . . . cinematic." -- The Washington Post

"Riveting, masterfully told . . . Goldstein writes like a dream as he vividly brings the stories of the refugees and the lawyers alive." -- Clara Bingham, coauthor of Class Action: The Landmark Case That Changed Sexual Harassment Law

"Want to see how the law really works? Forget the nonsense David versus Goliath stories from every legal thriller. Here's the real thing." -- Brad Meltzer, author of The Book of Fate and The First Counsel