What Louis Brandeis Knows: A Crusader for Social Justice Becomes a Supreme Court Justice

Emphasizing what Louis Brandeis (1856–1941) “knows,” Michelson draws readers into this stirring biography of the U.S. Supreme Court’s first Jewish Justice. Brandeis’s knowledge begins at age five: “he knows his parents came to America in 1848” because Prague was not safe for Jews. As the child matures, his father’s refrain—“Any fool knows...”—shapes his thinking. Brandeis’s first battles revolve around accessing education; later, as a young lawyer facing antisemitism, he finds notoriety via a right-to-privacy case. Taking on his father’s catchphrase, he helps others seek equity and fairness, work that eventually results in his swearing-in as a Supreme Court Justice. Incorporating a stark use of light and shadow, Innerst’s collage-style illustrations employ gouache, acrylic, colored pencil, and digital artwork across this values-oriented biography. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Includes extensive back matter. Ages 7–10. (Oct.)