First Amendment Rights [2 volumes]

First Amendment Rights [2 volumes]
Author: Nancy S. Lind
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 816
Release: 2012-11-21
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1610692136

This two-volume work addresses every key, cutting-edge issue regarding the First Amendment, including subjects such as freedom of religion, freedom of press, freedom of speech, and freedom of organization. First Amendment Rights: An Encyclopedia provides both historical information and current, 21st-century topics in First Amendment issues. Volume 1 addresses the subject through the lens of past decisions and precedent, updated to include controversies between new social media and civil liberties. Volume 2 examines the current state of First Amendment rights, addressing the changes in interpretations of the First Amendment by the Roberts Court as well as in-vogue issues such as Occupy Movements as well as student rights and responsibilities in freedom of religion and speech cases. Key cases are highlighted throughout the text to further comprehension of the underlying issues and subtle complexities. The information is presented so that readers can examine cases in the Roberts court and draw their own conclusions. Coverage is also provided of the challenges and opportunities that arise with the adoption of new technologies and their impact on the interpretations of the First Amendment.

The Supreme Court [4 volumes]

The Supreme Court [4 volumes]
Author: Paul Finkelman
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 1418
Release: 2014-01-15
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1610693957

An insightful, chronological—by chief justice—examination of the Supreme Court that enables students and readers to understand and appreciate the constitutional role the Court plays in American government and society. American citizens need to understand the importance of the Supreme Court in determining how our government and society operates, regardless of whether or not they agree with the Court's opinions. Unfortunately, the role and powers of the third branch of government are not well understood by the American public. After an introduction and overview to the history of the Supreme Court from 1789 to 2013, this book examines the Court's decisions chronologically by Chief Justice, allowing readers to grasp how the role and powers of the Court have developed and shifted over time. The chapters depict the Court as the essential agent of review and an integrated part of the government, regardless of the majority/minority balance on the Court, and of which political party is in the White House or controlling the House or Senate.

The Oxford Handbook of Church and State in the United States

The Oxford Handbook of Church and State in the United States
Author: Derek H. Davis
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 592
Release: 2010-11-18
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0190208783

Study of church and state in the United States is incredibly complex. Scholars working in this area have backgrounds in law, religious studies, history, theology, and politics, among other fields. Historically, they have focused on particular angles or dimensions of the church-state relationship, because the field is so vast. The results have mostly been monographs that focus only on narrow cross-sections of the field, and the few works that do aim to give larger perspectives are reference works of factual compendia, which offer little or no analysis. The Oxford Handbook of Church and State in the United States fills this gap, presenting an extensive, multidimensional overview of the field. Twenty-one essays offer a scholarly look at the intricacies and past and current debates that frame the American system of church and state, within five main areas: history, law, theology/philosophy, politics, and sociology. These essays provide factual accounts, but also address issues, problems, debates, controversies, and, where appropriate, suggest resolutions. They also offer analysis of the range of interpretations of the subject offered by various American scholars. This Handbook is an invaluable resource for the study of church-state relations in the United States.

The Law of Church and State in the Supreme Court

The Law of Church and State in the Supreme Court
Author: David M. Ackerman
Publisher: Nova Publishers
Total Pages: 180
Release: 2003
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9781590336359

From the fall of 1980 to the present the Supreme Court has handed down over 60 decisions on the issues of church and state -- more than in any previous comparable period. In many of its decisions the Court has been sharply split, with the Justices vigorously arguing their various viewpoints. But the changes in the Court's composition have had a demonstrable effect: The Court has substantially narrowed the scope of the free exercise clause as a constraint on government action and has overturned a number of its prior establishment clause rulings. On both clauses the Court's interpretations are now giving government much more discretion to take actions that affect religious institutions and practices. Nonetheless the Court is sharply divided on how to interpret and apply both the free exercise clause, and the establishment clause, and the outcome of particular cases is often unpredictable. The period since 1980 has been a profoundly important time for the law of church and state in the Supreme Court. The arguments both on and off the Court about the proper relationship of government and religion have been spirited and extensive, and the Court has issued dozens of rulings on specific issues. This book summarises the doctrinal debates and shifts on the religion clauses that have occurred on the court during this period. It summarises and examines as well the legal effect of each of the decisions the Court has handed down concerning church and state since 1980. An Appendix lists each of the Justices voted on the decisions.