
The Supreme Court
An Analytic History of Constitutional Decision Making
Tom S. Clark(Author)
Cambridge University Press
Published on 14. March 2019
Book
Hardback
450 pages
978-1-108-42276-5 (ISBN)
Description
This book presents a quantitative history of constitutional law in the United States and brings together humanistic and social-scientific approaches to studying law. Using theoretical models of adjudication, Tom S. Clark presents a statistical model of law and uses the model to document the historical development of constitutional law. Using sophisticated statistical methods and historical analysis of court decisions, the author documents how social and political forces shape the path of law. Spanning the history of constitutional law since Reconstruction, this book illustrates the way in which the law evolves with American life and argues that a social-scientific approach to the history of law illuminates connections across disparate areas of the law, connected by the social context in which the Constitution has been interpreted.
Reviews / Votes
'... this excellent book is positioned to significantly influence the path of future scholarship. First, it stands out as a model of how rigorous social scientific methods can enhance a detailed historical treatment of decision making on the Supreme Court. Clark also shines a spotlight on the question of how constitutional decision making may play out in an increasingly polarized political system - both external to the Court and among the justices themselves.' Patrick C. Wohlfarth, Law and Politics Book ReviewMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises; 16 Tables, black and white; 68 Line drawings, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 31 mm
Weight
883 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-108-42276-5 (9781108422765)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Book
03/2019
Cambridge University Press
€44.00
Shipment within 15-20 days

E-Book
03/2019
Cambridge University Press
€21.99
Available for download

E-Book
03/2019
Cambridge University Press
€26.49
Available for download
Person
Tom S. Clark is Charles Howard Candler Professor of Political Science at Emory University, Atlanta. His research focuses on judicial decision-making and his recent work has focused on the development of law. His first book, The Limits of Judicial Independence (Cambridge, 2010), won the William Riker Award for the best book in political economy from the American Political Science Association.
Content
1. The history of constitutional law: inside and outside; 2. Modeling constitutional doctrine; 3. An empirical model of constitutional decision making; 4. The cases, votes, and opinions; 5. Patterns in constitutional law; 6. From civil war to regulation and federal power; 7. War, security, and culture clash; 8. Conclusion.