John P. Frank (1917–2002)

3846. Justice Daniel Dissenting A Biography of Peter V. Daniel, 1784-1860, by John P. Frank (13 Jan) This is a near-perfect book of its kind, dealing very capably with a minor but interesting Supreme Court justice who served on that court from the time of his confirmation (the account of which is so amazing that to learn of it is worth by itself reading the book) on March 2, 1841 (two days before Martin Van Buren's presidency ended and a Whig President was inaugurated!) till his death in 1860. He authored 74 majority opinions and dissented 46 times--far more than any other justice in the period and the account of his years on the Court is very well told, with meticulous citations. This book was a highlight of my reading in January.… (meer)