Sign-In
Cart
Blindfolds Off: Judges on How They Decide-Paperback Edition
Paperback
Currently unavailable to order
Please enter your email and a message will be sent to you when this product becomes available on our website.
ISBN13: 9781627226790
Publisher: Amer Bar Assn
Published: Oct 7 2014
Pages: 339
Weight: 1.05
Height: 0.80 Width: 5.90 Depth: 8.90
Language: English
This important new book penetrates that veil of secrecy with thirteen interviews tape recorded in the chambers of the respective judges. The author, Mr. Joel Cohen, who practices at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, LLP in New York, is a skillful and tenacious, though invariably courteous, interviewer. He has picked as the interviewees federal district judges who have presided in famous, publicity-attracting cases, cases most likely to challenge a judge's fidelity to a passive, formalistic--which is to say traditional--mode of judicial decision making, and he has focused the interviews on those cases.
We learn a good deal about these judges. And one thing we learn is that judges, even when in the hands as it were of a skillful and persistent and unawed interviewer, are very reluctant to acknowledge a personal element in judging even in the most atypical and challenging case.
The book features selected specific, well known cases for the free-flowing dialogues which follow, from the thousands of cases to which these thirteen judges have been assigned. These are cases which have raised critical questions about justice, policy, precedent and the law and the way in which the currents and tides of their lives and of our ever-changing society have influenced those rulings.
You'll discover if the judges have been open, even aware, of what experiences have influenced their rulings, and where judges acknowledge awareness of these potential influences--of their priors, as Judge Posner would articulate it--are they fully candid, to themselves and others, about whether, and to what degree, it has informed their rulings? Or have they contrarily decided, after inwardly acknowledging the awareness, that they can or did fairly decide the case, so that they needn't publicly reveal themselves?
If you are even remotely curious about how judges make decisions, this book provides some eye-opening interviews that will shed light on their decision-making process.
What Others Are Saying....
In Blindfolds Off: Judges on How They Decide (American Bar Association), Joel Cohen doggedly strips the veil from the bloodless effigy of justice in 13 remarkably revealing interviews with federal jurists from New York and elsewhere. Mr. Cohen tactfully but tenaciously demonstrates his skills as a white-collar criminal defense lawyer with Stroock & Stroock & Lavan in a Q.-and-A. format punctuated by rare insight into the brainstorming process behind the proverbial blindfold.
-Sam Roberts, The New York Times
Blindfolds Off is a surprising, fascinating and unusually candid examination of what judges think--told in their own words.
--Jeffrey Toobin, The New Yorker
Joel Cohen's brilliant book Blindfolds Off is an essential guide to one of the best kept secrets of our legal system: namely that it is we the public, rather than the judges, who are wearing the blindfolds. Judges make their decisions in secret, and the processes they use to decide are also secret. This book, which exposes these secrets, is an essential tool of democracy, visibility and accountability.
--Alan Dershowitz, Author of Taking the Stand: My Life in the Law
Blindfolds Off takes a revealing and fascinating look at what judges bring to their cases and how they decide them. In no-holds-barred interviews--cross-examinations might be a better term--of federal judges about significant and highly controversial cases that came before them, the role of the judiciary is explored in an engaging and arresting manner.
--Floyd Abrams, Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP
Joel Cohen's in-depth conversations with 13 federal judges who sat in leading, often headline, cases illuminates for readers, and perhaps even for the judges themselves, the logical and intuitive paths that judges take in reaching their decisions. In its methodology and lessons, the book is unique.
--Stephen Gillers, Elihu Root Professor of Law, New York University School of Law
As a former District Judge, reading Joel Cohen's insightful Blindfolds Off was eye opening. Cohen interviewed 13 of my former colleagues, each of whom spoke with unanticipated candor in the face of sometimes forceful questioning. Their responses led to considerable introspection about the subtle, and not-so-subtle, influences on how I, myself, decided cases.
--Judge Richard J. Holwell (Ret., S.D.N.Y.), Holwell, Shuster & Goldberg LLP
For every lawyer, law student and even judge who wonders what judges really think when deciding a case, this book will be a revelation. Cohen is a skillful and dogged interlocutor and his judges are surprisingly candid and realistic. Blindfolds Off gives you the opportunity to listen in on judicial thinking in one high profile case after another.
--Dahlia Lithwick, Slate.com
Also in
General Law
Before All Is Said and Done: Practical Advice on Living and Dying Well
Watson, Suzanne
Miles, Pat
Hardcover
With Liberty and Justice for Some: How the Law Is Used to Destroy Equality and Protect the Powerful
Greenwald, Glenn
Hardcover
Boy with a Knife: A Story of Murder, Remorse, and a Prisoner's Fight for Justice
Trounstine, Jean
Paperback
The U.S. Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader
Murray, Melissa
Hardcover
Department of Fate: The Promise, the Power, and the Collapse of America's Most Consequential Institution
Maddow, Rachel
Hardcover
Last Branch Standing: A Potentially Surprising, Occasionally Witty Journey Inside Today's Supreme Court
Isgur, Sarah
Hardcover
Unreasonable Women: Three Stories of Violence, Imprisonment, and Extraordinary Survival
Van Der Leun, Justine
Hardcover
Discovering the Club: Piecing Together the Puzzling Network of Parental Pimping, Ritualistic Abuse, and Sex Trafficking
Clack, Cynthia L.
Paperback
So Ordered: An Originalist's View of the Constitution, the Court, and Our Country
Alito, Samuel A., Jr.
Hardcover
North Carolina Notary Public Manual, 2016
Secretary of State
Secretary of State, Nc Department
North Carolina Department of the
Hardcover
Supremacy: How Rule by the Court Replaced Government by the People
Renan, Daphna
Bowie, Nikolas
Hardcover
Social Security, Medicare & Government Pensions: Get the Most Out of Your Retirement and Medical Benefits
Matthews, Joseph
Paperback
Nolo's Guide to Social Security Disability: Getting & Keeping Your Benefits
Morton III, David A.
Paperback
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure; 2026 Edition: With Statutory Supplement
Michigan Legal Publishing Ltd
Paperback
The Price of Mercy: Unfair Trials, a Violent System, and a Public Defender's Search for Justice in America
Galvin Almanza, Emily
Hardcover
Five Bullets: The Story of Bernie Goetz, New York's Explosive '80s, and the Subway Vigilante Trial That Divided the Nation
Williams, Elliot
Hardcover
Captain's Dinner: A Shipwreck, an Act of Cannibalism, and a Murder Trial That Changed Legal History
Cohen, Adam
Hardcover
The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Family's Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life
Cordalis, Amy Bowers
Hardcover
Our Minds Were Always Free: A History of How Black Brilliance Was Exploited--And the Fight to Retake Control
Davis, Lisa E.
Hardcover
The Criminal Law Handbook: Know Your Rights, Survive the System
Bergman, Paul
Berman, Sara J.
Paperback
Searching for Jane Crow: Black Women and Mass Incarceration in America from the Auction Block to the Cell Block
Leflouria, Talitha L.
Hardcover
Your Data Will Be Used Against You: Policing in the Age of Self-Surveillance
Ferguson, Andrew Guthrie
Hardcover
One in Five: Why Child Sexual Abuse Is Our Biggest Public Health Crisis--And What We Can Do to Stop It
Malone, Luke
Letourneau, Elizabeth J.
Hardcover
Revenge for the Sixties: Sam Alito and the Triumph of the Conservative Legal Movement
Canellos, Peter S.
Hardcover
Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised in Brief, 3rd Edition
Balch, Thomas J.
Robert, Henry M., III
Honemann, Daniel H.
Paperback
The Pain Brokers: How Con Men, Call Centers, and Rogue Doctors Fuel America's Lawsuit Factory
Chamblee Burch, Elizabeth
Hardcover
Medical Terminology Made Simple: Easily Learn, Memorize, and Pronounce Medical Terms
Temple, John, MD
Paperback
The Public Domain: Find and Use Free Content for Your Website, Book, App, Music, Video, Art, and More
Secor, Glen
Paperback
When Companies Run the Courts: How Forced Arbitration Became America's Secret Justice System
Ballou, Brendan
Hardcover
Oops...That's Illegal!: A Handbook for the Wildly Curious (and the Accidental Outlaw)
Mandell, Mike
Hardcover
The Trustee's Legal Companion: A Step-By-Step Guide to Administering a Living Trust
Hanks, Liza
Zolla, Carol Elias
Buckley, Shaila
Paperback
Getting Permission: Using & Licensing Copyright-Protected Materials Online & Off
Stim, Richard
Paperback
Living Trusts for Everyone: Why a Will Is Not the Way to Avoid Probate, Protect Heirs, and Settle Estates (Second Edition)
Sharp, Ronald Farrington
Paperback
Dig Me a Grave: The Inside Story of the Serial Killer Who Seduced the South
Assael, Shaun
Harpootlian, Richard A.
Hardcover
Bone Valley: A True Story of Injustice and Redemption in the Heart of Florida
King, Gilbert
Hardcover
Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes
Litman, Leah
Paperback
Federal Rules of Evidence; 2026 Edition (Casebook Supplement): With Advisory Committee notes, Rule 502 explanatory note, internal cross-references, qu
Michigan Legal Publishing Ltd
Paperback
The Constitution Cannot Save Us: Why We Can No Longer Rely on Our Founding Document
Seidman, Louis Michael
Hardcover
Pink Crime: Fighting Against the Criminalization of Motherhood, Pregnancy, and Queer Identity
Beety, Valena
Hardcover
Is the Government Legally Killing Us?: Is the Evidence Obvious? How Fear of Death and the Illusion of Freedom Turn Us Into Accomplices to Evil
(Scott Schara), Grace's Dad
Paperback
Federal Rules of Evidence; 2026 Edition: With Internal Cross-References
Michigan Legal Publishing Ltd
Paperback
The Constitution of the United States of America: The Declaration of Independence, The Bill of Rights
Founding Fathers
Paperback
The U.S. Constitution and Other Writings (Deluxe Leatherbound Edition)
Editors of Canterbury Classics
Hardcover
Represent Yourself in Court: Prepare & Try a Winning Civil Case
Berman, Sara J.
Bergman, Paul
Paperback
Understanding Living Trusts(R): How You Can Avoid Probate, Keep Control, Save Taxes, and Enjoy Peace of Mind
Schumacher, Vickie
Paperback
Iras, 401(k)S & Other Retirement Plans: Strategies for Taking Your Money Out
Shea, Tracy
Slesnick, Twila
Paperback
No Loose Ends: The Smart & Slightly Morbid Guide to Estate Planning & End-Of-Life Tasks
Zuckerman, Adam
Hardcover
The Cases That Haunt Us: From Jack the Ripper to JonBenet Ramsey, the Fbi's Legendary Mindhunter Sheds Light on the Mysteries That Won't Go Away
Douglas, John E.
Olshaker, Mark
Paperback
38 Londres Street: On Impunity, Pinochet in England, and a Nazi in Patagonia
Sands, Philippe
Hardcover
J.K. Lasser's Small Business Taxes 2027: Your Complete Guide to a Better Bottom Line
Weltman, Barbara
Paperback
Stitching Freedom: A True Story of Injustice, Defiance, and Hope in Angola Prison
Tyler, Gary
Hardcover
The Presidential Pardon: The Short Clause with a Long, Troubled History
Prakash, Saikrishna Bangalore
Hardcover
55 Successful Harvard Law School Application Essays, 2nd Edition: With Analysis by the Staff of the Harvard Crimson
Staff of the Harvard Crimson
Paperback
Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes
Litman, Leah
Hardcover
Every Californian's Guide to Estate Planning: Wills, Trust & Everything Else
Hanks, Liza W.
Paperback
Terrible Stuff Damaging Everybody: The True Story of Lies and Libel in Dominion V. Fox
Rosenberg, Ian
Hardcover
The Only Living Trusts Estate Planning Guide: Protect Your Assets, Avoid Probate, Slash Taxes and Secure Your Heirs' Future.
Sterling, Thayer
Paperback
Fireproof: A Five-Step Model to Take Your Law Firm from Unpredictable to Wildly Profitable
Nachazel, John
Morse, Mike
Hardcover
Little Book of Restorative Justice & Community: Reclaiming Connection and Responsibility for Our Neighbors
Wilson, Sheryl
Morneau, Caitlin
Paperback
Beyond the Body Farm: A Legendary Bone Detective Explores Murders, Mysteries, and the Revolution in Forensic Science
Bass, Bill
Jefferson, Jon
Paperback
Special Needs Trusts: Protect Your Child's Financial Future
Urbatsch, Kevin
Farinas Jones, Jessica
Paperback
J.K. Lasser's Small Business Taxes 2026: Your Complete Guide to a Better Bottom Line
Weltman, Barbara
Paperback
The U.S. Constitution - Anti-Federalist Edition
Convention, Constitutional
Adams, Samuel
Henry, Patrick
Paperback
Hitler's American Model: The United States and the Making of Nazi Race Law
Whitman, James Q.
Paperback
Contempt of Court: The Turn-Of-The-Century Lynching That Launched a Hundred Years of Federalism
Phillips, Leroy
Curriden, Mark
Paperback
Solve Your Money Troubles: Strategies to Get Out of Debt and Stay That Way
Loftsgordon, Amy
O'Neill, Cara
Paperback
Redemption: Faith, Justice, and Sisterhood on Death Row (Large Print Edition)
Wright, Lawrence
Paperback
Vanished in Vermillion: The Real Story of South Dakota's Most Infamous Cold Case
Raguse, Lou
Paperback