WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT: Chief Justice

Alpheus Thomas Mason's study of William Howard Taft in the role of Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court opens an area of Taft's life not usually considered but no more inspiring than his presidency. The book examines the function of the office of the Chief Justice and explores Taft's judicial reforms. A good case is made for Taft as a judicial reformer but the nature of the changes he helped to bring about will not be readily appreciated by the reader who lacks a legal background. Mason's writing is heavily encumbered with quotations and references and his chronology is at times difficult to follow. The book's chief merit rests with its documentation which will be of assistance to students of this period of the Court's history.