Toobin is a staff writer for The New Yorker and legal analyst for CNN. He is the author of seven books, including The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court, The Oath: The Obama White House and the Supreme Court, and American Heiress: The Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst. He holds a B.A. and J.D. from Harvard University, and worked as a lawyer before turning to writing full-time. 

Rehnquist served on the Court from 1971 to his death in 2005. He was appointed by Richard Nixon and served as an associate justice before Ronald Reagan nominated him to become chief justice in 1985, replacing Warren Burger. He was conservative in his voting, on issues such as federalism and abortion.

Stevens was appointed by Gerald Ford and served on the Court from 1975 to 2010. Although he was appointed by a Republican president, he became a steady liberal voice on the Court. His long tenure on the bench also gave him patience from a long-term perspective, as he knew that judicial thought evolved over time and often circled back to previous interpretations.