The Brethren (Bob Woodward book)

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The Brethren is a 1979 book by Bob Woodward and Scott Armstrong, which gives a nonfiction look behind the scenes of the United States Supreme Court during Earl Warren's latter years and Warren Burger's early years as Chief Justice of the United States.

Using Woodard's now-familiar and often controversial writing technique involving "off-the-record" sources, the book provides a fascinating account of the deliberations leading to some of the more controversial decisions from the 1960s and 1970s rendered by the highest court of the United States. Among the cases explored was the 1969 decision involving dethroned heavyweight champion boxer Muhammad Ali's refusal to be inducted for military service in the Vietnam War. Preliminary opinions by the justices pointed to a defeat for Ali's cause. After further discussion and persuasion, the final opinion was a unanimous decision overturning Ali's conviction for draft evasion, which paved the way for Ali's second boxing career and his legendary bouts with Joe Frazier, George Foreman and Leon Spinks.

Another case with substantial treatment in the book was the 1974 decision involving then President Richard Nixon's refusal to turn over the Watergate tapes on the ground of executive privilege. The also unanimous decision against the President directly led to his resignation as the 37th President of the United States — the only President in history to do so. "The Brethren" is one of the few accounts of the workings of the mysterious and least-known of the branches of the United States government.

Upon the death of Justice Potter Stewart in 1985, Woodward revealed that Stewart had been the primary source for The Brethren.