A revealing and chillingly captivating look at dark side of American political history…
A follow-up to Cloak and Gavel: FBI Wiretaps, Bugs, Informers, and the Supreme Court (Univ. of Illinois 1992), Charns’ latest examines how the FBI had used sexual blackmail against a Supreme Court justice who was still in office. The book chronicles Charns’ arduous journey through a labyrinth of FOIA requests, navigating the treacherous waters of FBI bureaucracy and braving the rocky shores of federal litigation, to uncover the extent of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover’s clandestine efforts to influence Supreme Court rulings. Charns depicts Hoover as the “a self-appointed moral arbiter,” revealing eye-opening truths about his involvement in politics. He explains how the FBI had thousands of secret files on the Supreme Court, part of their battle to influence the Court in the image of Director Hoover. These files were withheld from a FOIA request until Charns filed a lawsuit in 1983. After thirteen long years and three grueling lawsuits under the Freedom of Information Act, Charns finally obtained the shocking documents involving Justice Abe Fortas, a Supreme Court justice, held in the highest regard by the public, who had been blackmailed by the very agency entrusted to uphold justice. The book delves further into how Justice Fortas and three trusted court employees, T. Perry Lippitt, Harold B. Willey, and Philip H. Crook, served as informants for the FBI, their loyalties divided between justice and their own hidden agendas. The book provides a disturbing glimpse into the less admirable aspects of American political history, specifically regarding the FBI, who carefully kept records containing damaging and historically significant secrets that they refused to make public. With extensive footnotes and a thorough list of sources, this book is a valuable resource for both academic and public libraries alike.
FBI Snitches, Blackmail, and Obscene Ethics at the Supreme Court:
Plus: How it took thirteen years and Three FOIA lawsuits to get the FBI’s Secret Supreme Court Sex and Informant Files
Alex Charns
Pub date January 26, 2024
ISBN 979-8877302297
Price $8.00 (USD) Paperback, $0.99 Kindle edition