The Supreme Court

This accessible guide to the U.S. Supreme Court explains the Court''s history and authority, its structure and processes, its most important and enduring legal decisions, and its place in the U.S. political system. A 2018 Pew Research Center poll found that while 78 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents believed that the Supreme Court should base its decisions on the "modern" meaning of the Constitution, 67 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents asserted that Justices should rely on the Constitution''s "original meaning."The Court often is the final arbiter of polarizing battles that originate in other branches of government. At the same time, however, its structural insulation from Congress, the Presidency, and electoral politics make the Supreme Court-at least in theory-well positioned to rise above the rough-and-tumble of politics. This book examines the power of the Supreme Court in America''s system of democratic governance in several ways. These include: reviewing debates over whether justices should interpret the Constitution in line with its "original meaning" or in accordance with present-day understandings; exploring the processes and factors that shape how cases are chosen and decided; considering contentious battles over the selection of justices; and examining the impact of the Court on American culture and society.>

About the author

Helena Silverstein is Professor and Department Head of Government and Law at Lafayette College, USA. She has authored such books as The Supreme Court (2021); Girls on the Stand: How Courts Fail Pregnant Minors (2007); and Unleashing Rights: Law, Meaning, and the Animal Rights Movement (1996).

Product details

• Authors: Helena Silverstein, Silverstein Helena
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 27.06.2024
• EAN: 9798765127193
• ISBN: 9798765127193
• No. of pages: 208
• Dimensions: 154 mm x 234 mm x 12 mm
• Series: Student Guides to American Government and Politics
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Law > International law, foreign law; USA, LAW / Courts, POLITICAL SCIENCE / American Government / Judicial Branch, LAW / Judicial Power, Politics & government, United States of America, USA, Politics and government, Courts & procedure, Legal systems: courts and procedures, Legal systems: judges and judicial powers