Judicial Staff Directory

Judicial Staff Directory
Author: CQ Press
Publisher: CQ-Roll Call Group Books
Total Pages: 1466
Release: 2001-12
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9780872891937

A guide to national courts, federal courts of appeal and states courts, giving more than 2001 biographies of judges, and listing details of court staff and administrative personnel. Convenient indexes include court locator, city/county, and alphabetical listings of judges and individual names.

The Politics of Precedent on the U.S. Supreme Court

The Politics of Precedent on the U.S. Supreme Court
Author: Thomas G. Hansford
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 170
Release: 2018-06-05
Genre: Law
ISBN: 0691188041

The Politics of Precedent on the U.S. Supreme Court offers an insightful and provocative analysis of the Supreme Court's most important task--shaping the law. Thomas Hansford and James Spriggs analyze a key aspect of legal change: the Court's interpretation or treatment of the precedents it has set in the past. Court decisions do not just resolve immediate disputes; they also set broader precedent. The meaning and scope of a precedent, however, can change significantly as the Court revisits it in future cases. The authors contend that these interpretations are driven by an interaction between policy goals and variations in the legal authoritativeness of precedent. From this premise, they build an explanation of the legal interpretation of precedent that yields novel predictions about the nature and timing of legal change. Hansford and Spriggs test their hypotheses by examining how the Court has interpreted the precedents it set between 1946 and 1999. This analysis provides compelling support for their argument, and demonstrates that the justices' ideological goals and the role of precedent are inextricably linked. The two prevailing, yet contradictory, views of precedent--that it acts either solely as a constraint, or as a "cloak" that never actually influences the Court--are incorrect. This book shows that while precedent can operate as a constraint on the justices' decisions, it also represents an opportunity to foster preferred societal outcomes.

Nixon's Court

Nixon's Court
Author: Kevin J. McMahon
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 358
Release: 2011-09-19
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0226561216

Most analysts have deemed Richard Nixon’s challenge to the judicial liberalism of the Warren Supreme Court a failure—“a counterrevolution that wasn’t.” Nixon’s Court offers an alternative assessment. Kevin J. McMahon reveals a Nixon whose public rhetoric was more conservative than his administration’s actions and whose policy towards the Court was more subtle than previously recognized. Viewing Nixon’s judicial strategy as part political and part legal, McMahon argues that Nixon succeeded substantially on both counts. Many of the issues dear to social conservatives, such as abortion and school prayer, were not nearly as important to Nixon. Consequently, his nominations for the Supreme Court were chosen primarily to advance his “law and order” and school desegregation agendas—agendas the Court eventually endorsed. But there were also political motivations to Nixon’s approach: he wanted his judicial policy to be conservative enough to attract white southerners and northern white ethnics disgruntled with the Democratic party but not so conservative as to drive away moderates in his own party. In essence, then, he used his criticisms of the Court to speak to members of his “Silent Majority” in hopes of disrupting the long-dominant New Deal Democratic coalition. For McMahon, Nixon’s judicial strategy succeeded not only in shaping the course of constitutional law in the areas he most desired but also in laying the foundation of an electoral alliance that would dominate presidential politics for a generation.

Interest Groups and Lobbying

Interest Groups and Lobbying
Author: Thomas T. Holyoke
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 216
Release: 2018-09-03
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0429973284

Interest groups and lobbyists play a crucial role in how public policy is made in the United States' representative democracy. By helping citizens organize and pursue their self-interests in the political arena, interest groups and lobbyists are an alternative but very effective form of representation. However, the adversarial nature of interest groups often fuels voter discomfort with the political process. Interest Groups and Lobbying is an accessible and comprehensive text that examines the crux of this conflict. Pulling together two areas of interest group research (why advocacy organizations form and how they are able to gain influence in Washington) DC. Thomas T. Holyoke shows students the inner workings of interest groups in the United States. Using case studies to clarify and expand on the issues surrounding lobbying and group action in federal, state, and local government, Holyoke explores how we can use interest groups and their adversarial impulse to achieve the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

Congress and Its Members, Fourteenth Edition

Congress and Its Members, Fourteenth Edition
Author: Roger H. Davidson
Publisher: CQ Press
Total Pages: 661
Release: 2011-07-22
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1608716422

Fully updated with all the latest changes and developments, this thirteenth edition continues to provide readers with a comprehensive introduction to US Congress.

Redistricting in the New Millennium

Redistricting in the New Millennium
Author: Peter F. Galderisi
Publisher: Lexington Books
Total Pages: 394
Release: 2005
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9780739107188

The process and politics of redistricting have become more complicated over the years. This volume addresses that complication through a series of theoretical, historical, and case study essays.

On Deaf Ears

On Deaf Ears
Author: George C. Edwards
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 315
Release: 2006-04-01
Genre: Law
ISBN: 0300115814

"In this book, George Edwards analyses the results of hundreds of public opinion polls from recent presidencies to assess the success of these efforts. Surprisingly, he finds that presidents typically are not able to change public opinion; even great communicators usually fail to obtain the public's support for their high-priority initiatives. Focusing on presidents' personae, their messages, and the American public, he explains why presidents are often unable to move public opinion and suggests that their efforts to do so may be counterproductive. Edwards argues that shoring up previously existing support is the principal benefit of going public and that "staying private" - negotiating quietly with elites - may often be more conducive to a president's legislative success."--Provided by publisher.