The Center Seat: Life and Death In the Supreme Court

By Peter Irons

The Chief Justice Has Died: Who Will Replace Him? A Death-Row Inmate: "I Did Not Kill That Girl" A Supreme Court Justice: A Long-Buried Secret Changes His Life A Supreme Court Clerk: Can She Save A Life -- And The Court? Andrea "Andy" Roboff is a liberal Harvard Law Review editor and passionate death-penalty opponent. She plans to work for a Texas group that represents death-row inmates after graduation, but the unexpected offer of a coveted Supreme Court clerkship with conservative Justice Alex Novak gives her a chance to stay with her fellow editor and lover, Josh Barfield, who takes a job as a federal defender in Virginia, just across the Potomac from DC. The Center Seat begins with the brutal murder of a white law student, Laurel Davis, sending a young black man, Odell "OD" Beasley, to Virginia's death row, insisting that "I did not kill that girl." Fifteen years later, Josh's assignment to OD's last-ditch federal appeal spurs him and Andy to search for evidence that might prove OD's innocence. At the same time, the sudden death of the liberal Chief Justice, Sam Terman, allows conservative President Chris Chambers to nominate a Chief who will swing the Court to the right. What Andy and Josh uncover in OD's case leads to explosive showdowns in the Court, the Oval Office, and the Senate. And the accidental discovery of a long-buried family secret challenges Justice Novak's identity and values. With scenes of intrigue, suspense, and drama, leavened with humor and sensual interludes, The Center Seat ends with a surprising new Chief Justice, and a Supreme Court decision that shocks the nation. A graduate of Harvard Law School and member of the Supreme Court bar, Peter Irons is the author of ten acclaimed books on the Court and constitutional litigation. The Center Seat is his first novel, winning advance praise from Kermit Roosevelt, author of the Supreme Court novel Allegiance, as "gripping, dramatic, and very timely."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1539873072
• ISBN13: 9781539873075
• Release Date: December 2016
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 476 Pages
• Weight: 1.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.1" x 6.0"