Harvard Law Library Book Talk | Supremacy: How Rule by the Court Replaced Government by the People

Does the U.S. Constitution force us to live under the rule of nine robed lawyers? Many Americans assume that it does. It is commonly said that the Supreme Court has always had the power to decide what the Constitution means and to strike down any act of Congress that violates the justices’ dictates. But what if that isn’t accurate? What if the Court was not given the power it now wields, but rather seized it? That is the revelation of Nikolas Bowie and Daphna Renan’s masterful new account of the Supreme Court, "Supremacy: How Rule by the Court Replaced Government by the People." In a sweeping narrative of over 200 years of American history, they demonstrate that ​“judicial supremacy” was not written into the Constitution and has always been challenged as fundamentally at odds with it. This September 29, 2026 discussion, part of the Harvard Law School Library's Faculty Book Talk series, was moderated by Prof. Guy-Uriel Charles. More on 'Supremacy':    • Is judicial supremacy constitutional?   ------- Visit our website: https://hls.harvard.edu/ Subscribe to our newsletter: https://hls.harvard.edu/newsletter Follow us on social media: YouTube:    / @harvardlawschool   Instagram:   / harvardlaw   Facebook:   / harvardlaw   LinkedIn:   / harvard-law-school