The Supreme Court in the American Legal System

by Jeffrey A. Segal , Harold J. Spaeth , Sara C. Benesh

• ISBN13: 9780521785082
• ISBN10: 0521785081
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-07-25
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

This book examines the American legal system, including a comprehensive treatment of the U.S. Supreme Court. Despite this treatment, the 'in' from the title deserves emphasis, for it extensively examines lower courts, providing separate chapters on state courts, the US District Courts, and the US Courts of Appeals. The book analyzes these courts from a legal/extralegal framework, drawing different conclusions about the relative influence of each based on institutional structures and empirical evidence. The book is also tied together through its attention to the relationship between lower courts and the Supreme Court. Additionally, Election 2000 litigation provides a common substantive topic linking many of the chapters. Finally, it provides extended coverage to the legal process, with separate chapters on civil procedure, evidence, and criminal procedure.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	viii
List of Tables	x
Preface	xiii
I. INTRODUCTION
1 Judicial Policy Making	3	(16)
Policy Making	4	(12)
The Mythology of Judging	16	(1)
Summary and Conclusions	17	(2)
2 Approaches to Judicial Decision Making	19	(22)
Models	20	(2)
The Legal Approach	22	(12)
Extralegal or Policy-Based Approaches	34	(5)
Summary and Conclusions	39	(2)
3 The Supreme Court in American Legal History	41	(34)
Before the Constitution	41	(2)
The New Constitution	43	(1)
The Marshall Court	44	(3)
The Civil War Era	47	(4)
Economic Regulation	51	(2)
Changes in the State Courts	53	(1)
The New Deal	54	(1)
Supreme Court Supervision of State Courts	55	(2)
First Amendment Freedoms	57	(2)
Criminal Procedure	59	(1)
Equal Protection	60	(2)
The Right to Privacy	62	(2)
The Supreme Court and the Distribution of Power	64	(6)
Summary and Conclusions	70	(5)
II. JUDICIAL PROCESS
4 Civil Procedure	75	(22)
The Adversary System	76	(4)
Jurisdiction	80	(5)
Pleadings	85	(3)
Discovery	88	(1)
Trial Procedure	89	(5)
Multiparty and Multiclaim Litigation	94	(2)
Summary and Conclusions	96	(1)
5 Evidence	97	(22)
The Genesis of Evidence Law	97	(1)
Relevance	98	(5)
Hearsay	103	(2)
Circumstantial Evidence	105	(1)
Constitutional Provisions Impacting the Production of Evidence	106	(2)
Privileges	108	(4)
Expert Testimony	112	(3)
Eyewitness Testimony	115	(2)
Summary and Conclusions	117	(2)
6 Criminal Procedure	119	(28)
Crime	121	(3)
Prearrest Investigations	124	(4)
From Arrest to Trial	128	(5)
Trial	133	(7)
Appeals	140	(1)
Conclusions	141	(6)
III. LOWER COURTS IN THE AMERICAN LEGAL SYSTEM
7 State Courts	147	(40)
The State Courts	148	(1)
The Selection of State Court Judges	149	(11)
Accessing State Courts	160	(11)
Caseload	171	(1)
State Court Decision Making	172	(13)
Summary and Conclusions	185	(2)
8 The U.S. District Courts	187	(26)
Origins	190	(1)
Growth	190	(1)
Appointment Process	191	(3)
Jurisdiction	194	(2)
Caseload	196	(3)
Procedures	199	(1)
Decision Making	200	(11)
Conclusion	211	(2)
9 The U.S. Courts of Appeals	213
The U.S. Courts of Appeals	215	(1)
Origins	216	(1)
Growth	217	(1)
Appointment Process	218	(2)
Jurisdiction	220	(1)
Caseload	221	(5)
Procedures	226	(4)
Decision Making	230	(11)
Conclusion	241	(4)
IV. THE SUPREME COURT
10 Staffing the Court	245	(30)
Presidential Selection	248	(4)
Senate Confirmation	252	(21)
Summary and Conclusions	273	(2)
11 Getting into Court	275	(24)
Case Selection	275	(6)
The Supreme Court's Caseload	281	(4)
Which Cases for Decision?	285	(11)
Future Changes?	296	(1)
Summary and Conclusions	297	(2)
12 Supreme Court Decision Making	299	(33)
Process	301	(4)
The (Final) Vote on the Merits: Legal Approaches	305	(13)
The Decision on the Merits: Extralegal Approaches	318	(11)
Conclusions	329	(3)
13 Opinions and Assignments	332	(31)
Voting and Opinion Options	332	(5)
Opinion Assignment	337	(11)
Opinion Assignments and Opinion Coalitions	348	(1)
The Politics of Coalition Formation	349	(5)
Who Influences Whom?	354	(4)
Summary and Conclusions	358	(5)
V. IMPACT
14 The Impact of Judicial Decisions	363	(30)
The Impact of Courts in America	364	(1)
A Framework for Understanding Impact	365	(5)
Compliance	370	(10)
Impact	380	(8)
The Courts and Public Opinion	388	(1)
Summary and Conclusions	389	(4)
Case Index	393	(5)
General Index	398