What are the motifs in The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court by Bob Woodward and Scott Armstrong?

The role of the clerks. Each Justice had clerks assigned to him, first three clerks and then four clerks. The clerk is a lawyer who does the research and writes many of the drafts. They are professionals, not clerical employees. Clerks are hired for each term. Many clerks to the Supreme Court come from the lower courts, usually the Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. Each Justice has a different procedure for the hiring of clerks. Some do their own interviewing, others do not and don't even meet them until the first day of work.