Oral arguments and decision making on the United States Supreme Court / Timothy R. Johnson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Johnson, Timothy Russell.

Series:

SUNY series in American constitutionalism

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. Supreme Court--Rules and practice.

United States.

United States. Supreme Court.

Forensic orations--United States.

Forensic orations.

Judgments--United States.

Judgments.

Parliamentary practice.

Judicial process--United States.

Judicial process.

Physical Description:

xii, 180 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Albany : State University of New York Press, [2004]

Summary:

Timothy R. Johnson focuses on an all-too-often ignored aspect of the Supreme Court's decision-making process by providing a systematic explanation of how justices use oral arguments to make substantive legal and policy decisions. Using the arguments filed to the Court in legal briefs, oral argument transcripts, notes taken by Justice Lewis F. Powell during oral arguments, conference notes and internal memos of justices, and Court opinions, the book analyzes justices' behavior during these proceedings. The result is an impressive account demonstrating that justices use oral arguments to gather information regarding legal and policy options in a case, the preferences of competing political institutions and actors, and institutional rules that might affect the choices they make. Book jacket.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Introduction 1

Chapter 2 Oral Arguments as an Information-Gathering Tool 21

Chapter 3 Oral Arguments and Coalition Formation 57

Chapter 4 Conference, Opinion Writing, and Oral Arguments 71

Chapter 5 Oral Arguments and Decisions on the Merits 93

Chapter 6 Conclusions and Implications 125.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 157-166) and index.

ISBN:

0791461033

0791461041

OCLC:

52727993