Author and legal affairs analyst Jeffrey Toobin will speak about his latest book, "The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court," at Duke University's Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy on Thursday, Oct. 11.
Toobin will discuss the court with Duke Law School Dean David Levi. The 5:30 p.m. event in the Fleishman Commons is free and open to the public and will be followed by a book signing.
"The Nine" examines the court from the Reagan administration onward, as the justices dealt with pivotal cases on abortion, affirmative action, the death penalty, the 2000 presidential election, gay rights and church-state separation. Based on exclusive interviews with Supreme Court justices and other insiders, the book provides an inside look at the influence of swing voter Sandra Day O'Connor, the court's first female justice, and the lives and personalities of the justices.
Toobin has been a legal analyst for CNN Worldwide since 2002 and a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1993. Before working with CNN, Toobin provided legal analysis for ABC News on the nation's most high-profile cases, including the O.J. Simpson civil trial and the Kenneth Starr investigation of the Clinton White House. Toobin received a 2000 Emmy Award for his coverage of the Elian Gonzales custody saga.
Toobin's previous books include "A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal that Nearly Brought Down a President"; "The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson"; and "Too Close to Call: The 36-Day Battle to Decide the 2000 Election."
Before joining Duke in July, Law School Dean Levi was the chief U.S. district judge for the Eastern District of California. He was appointed U.S. attorney by President Ronald Reagan in 1986 and a U.S. district judge by President George H. W. Bush in 1990. His early career included a stint as law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr.