The Unpublished Opinions of Mr. Justice Brandeis

Harvard University Press, 1957.

“The present volume makes it possible to understand, better than was ever before possible, the forces and methods within the Court that produce the decisions which make law for all of us.” -Frederick Bernays Wiener, New Republic (October 7, 1957)

The Least Dangerous Branch: The Supreme Court at the Bar of Politics

Yale University Press, 1963.

“This classic book on the role of the United States Supreme Court traces the history of the Court, assessing the merits of various decisions along the way. Alexander Bickel begins with Marbury v. Madison, which he says give shaky support to judicial review, and concludes with the… More

Politics and the Warren Court

Joanna Cotler Books, 1965.

“For all of the current attacks on the Supreme Court, no sensible critic would argue with the view that our Constitution and courts are basically sound. The crucial issue is whether their functions are to be circumscribed by notions of symmetry derived from the law’s inevitably… More

The New Age of Political Reform: The Electoral College, the Convention, and the Party System

Harper & Row, 1968.

“This is the great merit of Professor Bickel’s book. He is not halted, or satisfied, simply by a call for what is termed ‘electoral reform.’ He insists on looking to find and appraising the practical differences, political and institutional, that the proposed… More

The Supreme Court and the Idea of Progress

Yale University Press, 1970.

“Timeless questions about the role of the Supreme Court in the American political and legal system are raised in the late Alexander Bickel’s characteristically astute analysis of the work of the Warren Court. He takes issue with the Court’s view that its role should be to move… More

Reform and Continuity: The Electoral College, the Convention, and the Party System

Harper & Row, 1971.

“Reform and Continuity . . . is a . . . text that deals with reform of the electoral college and the presidential nominating conventions, with concluding remarks on the judicial status of state statutes that discriminate against minor party activity. He aims his work at congressmen… More

The Caseload of the Supreme Court, and What, if Anything, to Do about It

American Enterprise Institute Press, 1973.

“In this study, [Bickel] centers on the recommendations of the Study Group for a National Court of Appeals to screen cases headed for the Supreme Court and to resolve certain conflicts among federal courts if appeals. He outlines the major criticisms of the National Court proposal,… More

The Morality of Consent

Yale University Press, 1975.

Winner of the 1976 Silver Gavel Award of the American Bar Association Chosen as one of the Notable Books of 1975 by the American Library Association “This short but provocative volume . . . is a fitting testimony to the author’s extraordinary, though tragically brief, career as a… More

The Judiciary and Responsible Government 1910-21

with Benno C. Schmidt; Macmillan, 1984.