Description: The Chief Justice of the United States here probes the diverse fates of America's freedoms in times of war -- and in the face of repressive acts by our own government: How the Lincoln administration's decision, in the Civil War, to suspend the writ of habeas corpus and to allow trials of civilians before military tribunals was opposed by judges who -- daring to stand against Congress, the President, and public opinion -- ruled in favor of citizens unjustly tried. How the government's prosecution of the alleged conspirators in the Lincoln assassination may have victimized the innocent. How the suppression of "incitement to draft evasion" in World War I and the forcible relocation of Japanese Americans in World War II inspired civil liberties cases that advanced the cause of freedom.

Writing with a perceptive eye for historical detail and a zest for inquiry, the Chief Justice gives us an absorbing and importantly informative book for history lovers, lawyers, court watchers, and civil libertarians alike.

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