StephenBrightemergedonthesceneasacauselawyerintheearlydecadesofmassincarceration,wheninflammatorypoliticsandharshchangestocriminaljusticepolicywerecrashingdownonthemostvulnerablemembersofsociety.Hededicatedhiscareertounleashingsocialchangebyrepresentingclientsthatsocietyhadlongagodiscarded,andadvocatedforalltoreceiveafairtrial.InDemandtheImpossible,RobertL.TsaitracesBright’sremarkablecareertoexplorethelegalideasthatwerecentraltohisrelentlesspursuitofequaljustice.Fornearlyfortyyears,BrightledtheSouthernCenterforHumanRights,anonprofitthatprovidedlegalaidtoincarceratedpeopleandworkedtoimproveconditionswithinthejusticesystem.HearguedfourcapitalcasesbeforetheUSSupremeCourt--andwoneachone,despitefacinganincreasinglyhostilebench.Witheachvictory,hebroughttolighthowthelawitselfhadbecomecorruptedbythecountry’sthirstforseverepunishment,exposingprosecutorialmisconduct,continuingracialinequality,inadequatesafeguardsforpeoplewithintellectualdisabilities,andtheshamefulqualityoflegalrepresentationforthepoor.OrganizedaroundthesefourmajorSupremeCourtcases,eachnarratedinvividanddramaticdetail,Tsai’sessentialaccountexplorestheracismbuiltintothecriminaljusticesystemandtheincredibleadvancementsonelawyerandhiscommittedalliesmadeforequalrights.Anelectrifyingworkoflegalhistory,DemandtheImpossiblerevealshowchangecanbewonineventhemostchallengingtimesandhowseeminglysmallvictoriescangoontohaveoutsizedeffects.
