Supreme myths : why the Supreme Court is not a court and its justices are not judges / Eric J. Segall.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Segall, Eric J.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. Supreme Court.

United States.

Constitutional law--United States.

Constitutional law.

Physical Description:

xvii, 219 pages ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Santa Barbara, Calif. : Praeger, [2012]

Summary:

It is a commonplace concern that the US Supreme Court's constitutional law decisions reflect the personal and political views of the Justices, but Segall (law, Georgia State U.-Atlanta), goes beyond the conventional calls for more objectivity to argue that the problem is much deeper and requires more radical reform. He contends that when people in a democracy reasonably disagree over difficult policy questions not obviously resolved by their Constitution, those differences should be resolved by public debate and elections, not by the personal opinions of unelected, life-tenured Justices and the supreme myths, disguised as law, that they create. Unlike many critics of the Supreme Court, Segall seems to agree with the content of most controversial decisions, but warns of the consequences of achieving those goals in such a manner. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Contents:

Supreme mythology

Marbury v. Madison and the birth of judicial review

Racial discrimination : Dred Scott, Plessy, and the reconstruction amendments

The economy

Abortion

Guns

Affirmative action

Freedom of religion

Proposals.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780313396878

0313396876

9780313396885

0313396884

OCLC:

745980491