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Democracy, liberty, and judicial review / Alexander Kaufman.

Cambridge eBooks: Frontlist 2025 Available online

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Format:
Book
Author/Creator:
Kaufman, Alexander, 1958- author.
Language:
English
Subjects (All):
Democratic centralism.
Judicial review.
Liberty.
Separation of powers.
review (function).
freedom.
Physical Description:
1 online resource
Place of Publication:
Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2026.
Summary:
"Contemporary democratic theory often posits that the will of the majority should resolve fundamental questions regarding rights, rather than the courts. However, this perspective misunderstands the essence of democracy, where the protection of basic liberties by the judiciary is, in fact, integral to democratic governance. Recent Supreme Court decisions have made it a challenging time to defend judicial review, seemingly validating the concerns of its critics. Are the sceptics correct in asserting that an unrepresentative branch should not decide fundamental questions about rights? Alexander Kaufman argues that such a conclusion overlooks the crucial role judicial review has played in modern democracies: dismantling Jim Crow laws, abolishing poll taxes, and striking down numerous other discriminatory laws enacted by elected representatives – laws that erode democratic values. Far from diluting democracy, judicial review is a vital component of it and abandoning this practice would be a concession to its adversaries"-- Cambridge University Press.
Contents:
Majoritarian arguments
Judicial review and the constitutionalist conception of democracy
Bad consequences : consequentialist criticisms of judicial review
The failure of originalism as a theory of legal reasoning
An economic theory of law?
What is democracy?
Representation and democracy : the merger of opposites
Protecting liberties in a democracy
Judicial reasoning in a democracy.
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Online resource; title from PDF title page (Cambridge University Press, viewed December 10, 2025).
Other Format:
Print version: Kaufman, Alexander, 1958- Democracy, liberty, and judicial review
ISBN:
9781009661584
1009661582
9781009661607
1009661604
OCLC:
1553845357
Publisher Number:
CIPO000308109
Access Restriction:
Restricted for use by site license

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