The Judicial Branch
Published on 27. October 2005
Book
Hardback
624 pages
978-0-19-517172-3 (ISBN)
Description
In recent years the Supreme Court has been at the center of such political issues as abortion rights, the administration of police procedures, and the determination of the 2000 presidential election. The checks and balances provided by the three branches of federal government are essential to nurturing and maintaining American democracy. With the guidance of coeditors Kermit L. Hall and Kevin T. McGuire, this volume of essays examines the role of the Judicial Branch in American democracy and the dynamic between the other branches of government, compares international models, and discusses possible measures for reform.
The Judicial Branch considers the impact of courts on American life and addresses such central questions as: Is the Supreme Court an institution of social justice? Is there a case for judicially created and protected social rights? Have the courts become sovereign when interpreting the Constitution?
Essays examine topics that include the judiciary in the founding of the nation; turning points in the history of the American judicial system; the separation of powers between the other branches of government; how the Supreme Court resolves political conflicts through legal means; what Americans know about the judiciary and its functions; and whether the American scheme of courts is the best way to support democracy.
The Judicial Branch considers the impact of courts on American life and addresses such central questions as: Is the Supreme Court an institution of social justice? Is there a case for judicially created and protected social rights? Have the courts become sovereign when interpreting the Constitution?
Essays examine topics that include the judiciary in the founding of the nation; turning points in the history of the American judicial system; the separation of powers between the other branches of government; how the Supreme Court resolves political conflicts through legal means; what Americans know about the judiciary and its functions; and whether the American scheme of courts is the best way to support democracy.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Illustrations
11 halftones & line illus.
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 37 mm
Weight
1071 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-517172-3 (9780195171723)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
10/2005
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€26.49
Available for download
Persons
Content
DIRECTORY OF CONTRIBUTORS ; GENERAL INTRODUCTION: The Judicial Branch as an Institution of American Constitutional Democracy ; INTRODUCTION ; SECTION I: CONSTITUTIONAL MOMENTS, JUDICIAL LEADERSHIP, AND THE EVOLUTION OF DEMOCRACY ; 1. The Historical Foundations of the American Judiciary ; 2. Judges and Democracy: The Changing Role of the United States Supreme Court ; SECTION II: COURTS IN THE CONSTITUTIONAL SYSTEM ; 4. The Judiciary and the Separation of Powers ; 5. Judicial Review and Interpretation: Have the Courts Become Sovereign When Interpreting the Constitution? ; 6. Paths to the Bench: Selecting Supreme Court Justices in a "Juristocratic" World ; 7. Is Judicial Federalism Essential to Democracy? State Courts in the Federal System ; 8. American Courts and Democracy: A Comparative Perspective ; SECTION III: COURTS, CULTURES, AND PUBLICS ; 9. Courts in American Popular Culture ; 10. What Americans Know about the Courts and Why It Matters ; 11. The Impact of Courts on American Life ; 12. Judicial Activism and American Democracy ; SECTION IV: RIGHTS, LIBERTIES, AND DEMOCRACY ; 13. Courts and the Rights Revolution ; 14. Discrimination Through Direct Democracy: The Role of the Judiciary in the Pursuit of Equality ; 15. From Republic to Democracy: The Judiciary and the Political Process ; 16. Courts and the Definition of Defendants' Rights ; 17. Public Education, Democratic Life, and the American Courts ; SECTION V: PROPERTY RIGHTS ; 18. Property Rights and Democracy in the American Constitutional Order ; SECTION VI: WHITHER THE JUDICIARY AND AMERICAN DEMOCRACY? ; 19. The Future of the Judicial Branch: Courts and Democracy in the Twenty-First Century ; INDEX