>> every weekend booktv brings you 48 hours of nonfiction authors and books on c-span2. keep watching for more television for serious readers. >> reuters legal correspondent joan biskupic is also the author. her most recent book "breaking in: the rise of sonia sotomayor and the politics of justice" joan biskupic what are we learned about sonia sotomayor? >> we learned what she's been doing shoe been on the court for the last five years. this book is a political history that tells you how she got on the supreme court and the life has been like since. it picks up where her memoir left off. so you learned in the opening chapter how she persuaded her fellow justices to salsa with there. ripping off the learned how how she has been effectively behind

the scenes on the law. sometimes when she has been so effective. >> you've written a biography of antonin scalia. how are they different? how are they the same? >> they are a lot the same in some ways. they are both new yorkers. one from queens, one from the bronx. very distinctive personnel is, both shaking up the joint in their own ways. of course, justice scalia has been there since 1986. 1986. she's been there only since 2009. we are going to see, i would never underestimate what she's about to do. i think she's a very good agent for herself. not unlike the way he was for himself, they both understand the importance of being visible. look at how visible justice scalia has been with his own book, a look at how visible she has been already. >> if you would put on your legal correspondent had for just a second, national press club night here at author night of the national press club.

you just happen to begin be stand next to ted olson, the former solicitor general. when he gets before the court joan biskupic, what's the reaction of the justices to him and how does he play to them? >> that's a great question something i study for a long time because i've been covering the court at least as long as they have been around. they know him personally. they know them from way back when. he was in the reagan administration just the way chief justice john roberts was in the reagan administration. he socialized with antonin scalia. he spent new year's eve with with the gators -- ruth bader ginsburg. they know him. when i have conversation with them, they will often refer to him by his first name. so that they attention when he speaks, just like they pay attention to a lot of the regulars up there. and he has certainly let's see he's been a sixtysomething arguments before the justices.

he has some different quirks of which watched he wears, how he argues, how how we does but it's fascinating to watch them and watch other justices respond. they respond especially to many of the former soldiers and generals, just like seth waxman who was solicitor general for bill clinton. as we know ted olson was the solicitor general for george w. bush. >> and does he play to the justices? >> they all know to argue to justice kennedy who was often in the swing vote position, or the know which justice might be the swing vote in the particular case, whether it's on something like same-sex marriage that he is doing now, or if it's on a pension case. these lawyers know who they need to convince. >> how often, and to talk a little bit about this in "breaking in" how often can the justices have personal relationships with the lawyers that argue in front of them? >> they are all appointed for

life but they all have history for they came on the court. they were either in the administration with some of the lawyers themselves, or maybe they once worked for them. elena kagan actually was the boss to several of the men and women who argued before the court now when she herself was solicitor general. so there are plenty of professional and personal interactions. >> what's your next book? >> i don't know what i'm going to do when. it's so much fun. do you have an idea wrecks know you know, this is more of a political history than a biography. i'm kind of running out of the ones with really great personal stories. so got to think long and hard to the of the reason you have to think long and hard is you spend so much time doing it it pulls you away from your family and your day job so you want to choose wisely. >> "breaking in" visiting of the joan biskupic's most recent book.

>> booktv continues with allen west. he talks of the importance of preserving the core values that he was raised on family, faith, tradition, service, honor, fiscal responsibility, courage and freedom lieutenant colonel west says that these values are under attack by the far left and the obama administration. this is about one hour. >> thanks so much, between. it will is an honor and pleasure to be here with you all at liberty university. there's only one thing that i'm kind of upset about. someone did not pay the heating bill up here. okay, this morning when i woke up at five, i went for a run and had a t-shirt and shorts on. when i got off the airplane here, i was looking for some longjohns. but it is beautiful here in the blue ridge mountains. there's something about liberty university you can see it on video or you can look at