The Steps to the Supreme Court
A Guided Tour of the American Legal System
1st Edition
Published on 16. March 2012
320 pages
978-1-118-13806-9 (ISBN)
Description
A guide to the American legal system, told through the story of two actual court cases The Steps to the Supreme Court takes a lively, narrative approach to the subject by following two real cases--one civil, one criminal--as they work their way through the system all the way up to the Supreme Court. Written by a member of the Supreme Court bar, this book brings the legal system to life in a practical, accessible, and compelling way.
Covers the key legal terms, principles, and processes you need to have a basic grasp of the American legal system
Tracks the criminal case involving the murder trial of Paul House and follows the defendant from the night of the murder through his conviction, appeals, and final chance for exoneration at the hands of the Supreme Court
Follows a civil case concerning the Ten Commandments being displayed on public property, following the parties from the time the plaintiffs filed their complaints through the Supreme Court decisions and back to the aftermath in the lower courts as they wrestle with a divided complex ruling
Written by the author of A People's History of the Supreme Court, and other classic works on the American justice system
Covers the key legal terms, principles, and processes you need to have a basic grasp of the American legal system
Tracks the criminal case involving the murder trial of Paul House and follows the defendant from the night of the murder through his conviction, appeals, and final chance for exoneration at the hands of the Supreme Court
Follows a civil case concerning the Ten Commandments being displayed on public property, following the parties from the time the plaintiffs filed their complaints through the Supreme Court decisions and back to the aftermath in the lower courts as they wrestle with a divided complex ruling
Written by the author of A People's History of the Supreme Court, and other classic works on the American justice system
More details
Edition
1. Auflage
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
File size
0,88 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-118-13806-9 (9781118138069)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
04/2012
Wiley
€22.00
Shipment within 15-20 days
Person
Peter Irons is a professor emeritus of political science at the University of California, San Diego. A graduate of Harvard Law School and noted Supreme Court authority, his numerous books, including A People's History of the Supreme Court, have won five Silver Gavel awards from the American Bar Association for their contributions to public understanding of the American legal system.
Content
Preface "How Did You Get Here?" vii Introduction "The Judicial Power of the United States": How Our Courts Were Framed and How They Function 1
Part I "No Reasonable Juror": The Death-Row Ordeal of Paul House
1 The Murder of Carolyn Muncey 27
2 The Murder Trial of Paul House 43
3 Paul House's Appeals in the Tennessee State Courts 69
4 Paul House's Federal Habeas Corpus Petition and Hearing 75
5 Paul House Seeks Relief from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals 103
6 Paul House's Appeal to the United States Supreme Court 111
7 The House Case Returns to the Federal and State Courts 127
Part II "An Establishment of Religion": The Ten Commandments and Crosses in the Courts
8 A Tale of Two Cities and Two Cases 141
9 The Hearings and the Opinions in the McCreary County and Van Orden Cases 167
10 The Supreme Court Appeals in the Ten Commandments Cases 175
11 The Impact of Justice Breyer's Concurrence on Pending Ten Commandments Cases 193
12 The Infl uence of Politics in Religion Cases: The Mt. Soledad Cross Case 213
13 Religious Politics, Judicial Snarls, and the Mojave Desert Cross Case 241
Conclusion 253
Appendix of Supreme Court Opinions 257
I. Opinions in House v. Bell 257
II. Opinions in McCreary County v. ACLU of Kentucky 280
III. Opinions in Van Orden v. Perry 305
Sources and Suggestions for Further Reading 325
Index 329
Part I "No Reasonable Juror": The Death-Row Ordeal of Paul House
1 The Murder of Carolyn Muncey 27
2 The Murder Trial of Paul House 43
3 Paul House's Appeals in the Tennessee State Courts 69
4 Paul House's Federal Habeas Corpus Petition and Hearing 75
5 Paul House Seeks Relief from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals 103
6 Paul House's Appeal to the United States Supreme Court 111
7 The House Case Returns to the Federal and State Courts 127
Part II "An Establishment of Religion": The Ten Commandments and Crosses in the Courts
8 A Tale of Two Cities and Two Cases 141
9 The Hearings and the Opinions in the McCreary County and Van Orden Cases 167
10 The Supreme Court Appeals in the Ten Commandments Cases 175
11 The Impact of Justice Breyer's Concurrence on Pending Ten Commandments Cases 193
12 The Infl uence of Politics in Religion Cases: The Mt. Soledad Cross Case 213
13 Religious Politics, Judicial Snarls, and the Mojave Desert Cross Case 241
Conclusion 253
Appendix of Supreme Court Opinions 257
I. Opinions in House v. Bell 257
II. Opinions in McCreary County v. ACLU of Kentucky 280
III. Opinions in Van Orden v. Perry 305
Sources and Suggestions for Further Reading 325
Index 329
