"Forcing the Spring begins on Election Night 2008, when a controversial California ballot initiative called Proposition 8--which removed the right of gay men and women to marry--passed alongside Barack Obama's stunning victory. Forcing the Spring details how a small but determined group of political and media insiders took the fight for marriage equality all the way to the Supreme Court. Gay activists and Hollywood liberals joined together to enlist attorneys Ted Olson and David Boies--the opposing counsels on the Supreme Court's infamous Bush v. Gore ruling--to bring a controversial legal case against Proposition 8 before the highest court in the land. Forcing the Spring is the extraordinary ringside account of this unprecedented effort to shift public opinion and reengineer the political certainties of an era"--

LGBTQIA+ (Nonfiction.) Politics. Sociology. Nonfiction. HTML:A New York Times Notable Book of the Year
A Washington Post Best Book of the Year (Nonfiction)
A Kirkus Best Book of the Year
“[A] riveting legal drama, a snapshot in time, when the gay rights movement altered course and public opinion shifted with the speed of a bullet train...Becker's most remarkable accomplishment is to weave a spellbinder of a tale that, despite a finale reported around the world, manages to keep readers gripped until the very end.”-The Washington Post
A tour de force of groundbreaking reportage by Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Jo Becker, Forcing the Spring is the definitive account of five remarkable years in American civil rights history: when the United States experienced a tectonic shift on the issue of marriage equality. Beginning with the historical legal challenge of California's ban on same-sex marriage, Becker expands the scope to encompass all aspects of this momentous struggle, offering a gripping behind-the-scenes narrative told with the lightning pace of the greatest legal thrillers.
For nearly five years, Becker was given free rein in the legal and political war rooms where the strategy of marriage equality was plotted. She takes us inside the remarkable campaign that rebranded a movement; into the Oval Office where the president and his advisors debated how to respond to a fast-changing political landscape; into the chambers of the federal judges who decided that today's bans on same-sex marriage were no more constitutional than previous century's bans on interracial marriage; and into the mindsets of the Supreme Court judges who decided the California case and will likely soon decide the issue for the country at large. From the state-by state efforts to win marriage equality at the ballot box to the landmark Supreme Court case that struck down a law that banned legally married gay and lesbian couples from receiving federal benefits, Becker weaves together the political and legal forces that reshaped a nation.
Forcing the Spring begins with California's controversial ballot initiative Proposition 8, which banned gay men and lesbians from marrying the person they loved. This electoral defeat galvanized an improbable alliance of opponents to the ban, with political operatives and Hollywood royalty enlisting attorneys Ted Olson and David Boies—the opposing counsels in the Supreme Court’s Bush v. Gore case—to join together in a unique bipartisan challenge to the political status quo. Despite initial opposition from the gay rights establishment, the case against Proposition 8 would ultimately force the issue of marriage equality all the way to the Supreme Court, transforming same-sex marriage from a partisan issue into a modern crisis of civil rights.
 
Shuttling between the twin American power centers of Hollywood and Washington—and based on access to all the key players in the Justice Department and the White House—Becker offers insider coverage on the true story of how President Obama “evolved” to embrace marriage equality. What starts out as a tale of an epic legal battle grows into the story of the evolution of a country. Becker shows how the country reexamined its opinions on same-sex marriage, an issue that raced along with a snowballing velocity which astounded veteran political operatives. Here is the ringside account of this unprecedented change, the fastest shift in public opinion ever seen in modern American politics.
Clear-eyed and even-handed, Forcing the Spring is political and legal journalism at its finest, offering an unvarnished perspective on the...

A groundbreaking work of reportage by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jo Becker,Forcing the Springis the definitive account of five remarkable years in American civil rights history, when the United States experienced a tectonic shift on the issue of marriage equality. Focusing on the historic legal challenge of California's ban on same-sex marriage, Becker offers a gripping, behind-the scenes narrative told with the lightning pace of a great legal thriller. Taking the reader from the Oval Office to the Supreme Court ruling, from state-by-state campaigns to the landmark decision overturning DOMA, Forcing the Springis political and legal journalism at its finest. 'Not just the definitive account of the battle for same-sex marriage rights but a thrilling and compassionate one too. Grade A.' Entertainment Weekly 'A stunningly intimate story.' The New York Times Book Review 'Becker's account of the hearings, and her analysis of the complictated legal theories involved in the long appeals process, are excellent. Her writing about the four plaintiffs in the case - the true emotional heroes of this book - is particularly affecting.' Richard Socarides, The New Yorker

A tour de force of groundbreaking reportage by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jo Becker, Forcing the Springfollows the historic legal challenge mounted against California's ban on same-sex marriage, a remarkable lawsuit that forced the issue of marriage equality before the highest court in the land. For nearly five years Becker embedded with the lawsuit's plaintiffs, was given free rein within the legal and political war rooms where strategy was plotted, and attended every day of the trial and every appellate argument. Based on singular access to the internal workings of this momentous trial - and enlivened by original interviews with the participants on both sides of the case, many speaking for the first time -Forcing the Springoffers a gripping behind-the-scenes narrative with the lightning pace of the greatest legal thrillers. Forcing the Springbegins with California's controversial ballot initiative Proposition 8, which banned gay men and lesbians from marrying the person they loved. But this electoral defeat galvanized an improbable alliance of opponents to the ban, with political operatives and Hollywood royality enlisting attorneys Ted Olson and David Boies - the opposing counsels on the Supreme Court's infamous Bush V. Gore ruling - to join together in a unique bipartisan challenge to the political status quo. Despite stiff initial opposition from the gay rights establishment, the case against Proposition 8 would ultimately force the issue of marriage equality all the way to the Supreme Court, transforming same-sex marriage from partisan issue into a modern crisis of civil rights. Shuttling between the twin American power centers of Hollywood and Washington - and based on access to all the key players in the Justice Department and the White House - Becker offers insider coverage on the true storyof how President Obama 'evolved' to embrace marriage equality, the Obama administration's surprising role in the Supreme Court battle, and the unexpected role the controversial issue played in the 2012 elections. What starts out as a tale of an epic legal battle grows into the story of the evolution of a country, a testament to the power of litigation, bipartisanship, social media, and old-fashioned storytelling to move public opinion. Becker shows how the country reexamined its opinions on same-sex marriage, an issue that raced along with a snowballing velocity which astounded veteran political operatives, as public opinion on same-sex marriage flipped and elected officials repositioned themselves to adjust to a dramatically changed environment. Forcing the Springis the ringside account of this unprecedented change, the fastest shift in public opinion ever seen in modern American politics. A must-read account of a national civil rights struggle,Forcing the Springcarries readers from the first efforts to stop Proposition 8 and the campaign to undermine the Defense of Marriage Act all the way to the final suspenseful moments in the Supreme Court. Clear-eyed and even-handed, Forcing the Springis political and legal journalism at its finest, offering an unvarnished perspective on the extraordinary transormation of America and an inside look into the fight to win the rights of marriage and full citizenship for all. Advance Praise for Forcing the Spring 'Jo Becker's Forcing the Springis a superbe behind-the-scenes account of the legal battle to bring marriage equality to the nation. Drawing on extraordinary access to the internal deliberations of the plaintiffs' team, Becker shows how law, politics, and personality combined to create a landmark in the history of the Supereme Court - and of the United States.' Jeffrey Toobin, author of The Nineand The Oath 'Jo Becker's Forcing the Springprovides the definitive insider

*A New York Times Notable Book of the Year* * A Washington Post Best Book of the Year (Nonfiction)* * A Kirkus Best Book of the Year* "Jo Becker has written a riveting history of one of America's great court cases. She captures our struggle for freedom and its epic sweep just perfectly. Future generations will turn to her book to understand Proposition 8 from its inception its journey to the Supreme Court, along with special insights into the remarkable DOMA victory led by the legendary Edie Windsor."--David Mixner, LGBT Activist and Author of Stranger Among Friends and Brave Journeys: Profiles in Gay and Lesbian Courage    "[A] riveting legal drama, a snapshot in time, when the gay rights movement altered course and public opinion shifted with the speed of a bullet train... Becker's most remarkable accomplishment is to weave a spellbinder of a tale that, despite a finale reported around the world, manages to keep readers gripped until the very end." --The Washington Post A groundbreaking work of reportage by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jo Becker, Forcing the Spring is the definitive account of five remarkable years in American civil rights history, when the United States experienced a tectonic shift on the issue of marriage equality. Focusing on the historic legal challenge of California's ban on same-sex marriage, Becker offers a gripping, behind-the scenes narrative told with the lightning pace of a great legal thriller. Taking the reader from the Oval Office to the Supreme Court ruling, from state-by-state campaigns to an astounding shift in national public opinion, Forcing the Spring is political and legal journalism at its finest.

Forcing the Spring begins on Election Night 2008, when a controversial California ballot initiative called Proposition 8--which removed the right of gay men and women to marry--passed alongside Barack Obama's stunning victory. Forcing the Spring details how a small but determined group of political and media insiders took the fight for marriage equality all the way to the Supreme Court. Gay activists and Hollywood liberals joined together to enlist attorneys Ted Olson and David Boies--the opposing counsels on the Supreme Court's infamous Bush v. Gore ruling--to bring a controversial legal case against Proposition 8 before the highest court in the land. Forcing the Spring is the extraordinary ringside account of this unprecedented effort to shift public opinion and reengineer the political certainties of an era.   Based on original interviews and in-depth reportage, Forcing the Spring is the work of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jo Becker, after she was exclusively embedded with the plaintiffs' legal team for more than four years, attending every day of the trial and every appellate argument. Offering behind-the-scenes coverage on the Obama administration's role--with access to all the key players in the Justice Department and the White House--Becker reveals the true story of how the president came around to embrace marriage equality and play a surprisingly critical role in the Supreme Court battle. Following the lawyers in the chambers, the political operatives in the strategy rooms, and the heroic couples at the center of this historic lawsuit, Becker weaves together the many threads of the campaign into an inspirational and eye-opening narrative. An exclusive account of a national civil rights struggle, Forcing the Spring carries readers from the first efforts to stop Proposition 8 and the campaign to undermine the Defense of Marriage Act all the way to the final suspenseful moments in the Supreme Court. A multi-angled work of journalism that examines all sides and all participants of this groundbreaking movement, Forcing the Spring is the definitive account of the fight to win the rights of marriage and full citizenship for all.

Discusses the legal battles that followed the 2008 election that brought "Proposition 8" into California law.

Details the efforts of a small but determined group of activists who took the fight for marriage equality all the way to the Supreme Court, challenging California's controversial and restrictive Proposition 8.

Draws on interviews and in-depth reporting to present an insider's account of a national civil rights struggle to stop Proposition 8, which removed the right of gay men and women to marry, and the campaign to undermine the Defense of Marriage Act.