What year did Brad Meltzer release his first book?

Brad Meltzer released his first book, "The Tenth Justice," on July 9th, 1997. The book was actually his second novel, but his first to be published and released.

Meltzer wrote the book at the age of 26, very soon after his graduation from Columbia Law School. "The Tenth Justice" describes the actions of a supreme court clerk who illegally releases the ruling to a lawyer on a particular case. The lawyer turns out to be a fraud who makes his millions by releasing rulings and begins to blackmail the clerk. The novel details the clerk's efforts to save his career and his future.