A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist chronicles the personal transformation of a legendary justice. From 1970 to 1994, Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote numerous landmark Supreme Court decisions and participated in the most contentious debates of his era--all behind closed doors. Greenhouse was the first print reporter to have access to Blackmun's private and public papers. She has crafted a narrative of Blackmun's years on the Court, showing how he never lost sight of the human beings behind the cases and how he was not afraid to question his own views on such issues as abortion, the death penalty, and sex discrimination. Greenhouse also tells how Blackmun's lifelong friendship with Chief Justice Burger withered in the crucible of life on the nation's highest court, revealing how political differences became personal, even for the country's most respected jurists.--From publisher description.