Storm Center : The Supreme Court in American Politics

by OBRIEN D

• ISBN13: 9780393974928
• ISBN10: 0393974928
• Edition: 5th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-10-01
• Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc

Summary

For your courses on judicial process, the Supreme Court, constitutional law, and American government... With the retirements of several liberal justices, the Supreme Court has taken historic steps under the leadership of Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist. This new edition takes account of these significant changes and how they affect the Court and American society. David M. O'Brien again shows students how the Supreme Court is a "storm center" of political controversy--"the least dangerous branch" of government where personality, politics, law, and justice come together to shape and often change drastically the society in which they live.

Author Biography

David M. O'Brien is Leone Reaves and George W. Spicer Professor of Government and Foreign Affairs at the University of Virginia. He is the author of several books

Table of Contents

Illustrations	ix
Tables, Charts, and Graphs	xi
Preface	xiii
Acknowledgments	xvii
A Struggle for Power	1	(31)
Abortion, the Court, and American Politics.
No Longer ``the Least Dangerous'' Branch
The Cult of the Robe	32	(72)
The Myth of Merit.
Process of Appointment.
Political Trade-offs.
Packing the Court.
Betrayed by Justice.
Off-the-Bench Activities.
Independence and Accountability.
Life in the Marble Temple	104	(61)
Before the Marble Temple.
In the Marble Temple.
Justice and Company---Nine Little law Firms.
Administrative Staff and Political Struggles.
Managing the Caseload
Deciding What to Decide	165	(74)
Access to Justice.
Setting the Agenda.
Agenda for Policy-making---Who Benefits Who Losses? Review Denied, Justice Denied?
Deciding Cases and Writing Opinions	239	(80)
The Role of Oral Argument.
Conference on Merits.
Opinion-Writing Process.
The Value of Judicial Opinions.
Institutional and Individual Opinions
The Court and American Life	319	(60)
Opinion Days.
Communicating Decisions to the Media.
Implementing Rulings and Achieving Compliance.
The Supreme Court and American Life
Appendix, Members of the Supreme Court of the United States	379	(4)
Notes	383	(39)
Glossary	422	(5)
Selected Further Readings	427	(4)
Index	431