Rights in the Balance

Reviews / Votes

This book analyzes in depth the Nebraska Press Association's battle to overturn a gag order imposed on the media by state court judges. --Dee Ann Ray ""Sherer's book focuses on the lawyers involved in this case on both sides, and on the judges who tried their best to see that Simants would be fairly tried in a community where he was known and emotions ran high after the killings."" ""This books is one of the 'Plains History' series being published by Texas Tech Press."" --Dee Ann Ray """"Is an examination of the modern media and its interference with the court system as people attempt to get a fair trial in today's society. [...] Is a top pick for community library law collections."" --James A. Cox ""This is a well-researched, well-written history of one of the most important First Amendment cases ... Scherer does an excellent job describing the courtroom proceedings at every level in the case. He carefully and accurately explains complex constitutional and procedural issues and he provides an excellent description of the personalities and judicial politics that shaped the case and its ultimate disposition."" --Michael H. Hoeflich, Kansas History, Vol. 31, No. 4 (Winter 09/09) ""Mark Scherer, associate professor of history at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, tackles the complex legal maneuverings of the case in a well-researched, clearly written, and engaging study... he expertly leads readers through the complex legal issues at stake, but his account is not simply a discussion of constitutional law. It is also a compelling human story on at least two levels: the tragedy of the Kellie family and the mentally deranged killer; and the interplay among the various actors... who grappled with the case for months... This focus on the human aspect of the case represents Scherer's greatest contribution... This attention to local circumstances also marks Scherer's work as significant for readers with an interest in state and local history."" --David J. Bodenhamer, The Annals of Iowa ""This book will be worthwhile and interesting for those who remember the brutality of the Simants murders but who have forgotten the resulting constitutional law; for lawyers, in particular those who wish to be reminded of the ongoing debate between various privleges outlined in the Bill of Rights; and for scholars who are looking for an example in which Nebraska courts have played into the fabric of constitutional law."" --Roy Hahn, Nebraska History, Winter 2008 ""Mark Scherer has succeeded in making this narrative of constitutional brainstorming, brief writing, and appellate arguing most exciting. It is a story well told. My hope is that he is sitting at a desk somewhere right now working on another book."" --G. Michael Fenner, Great Plains Research, Spring 2009