NCJ Number
86975
Journal
Catholic University Law Review Volume: 31 Issue: 2 Dated: (Winter 1982) Pages: 157-225
Date Published
1982
Length
67 pages
Annotation
This series of articles focuses on trends in the judiciary in the 1980's, including judicial activism, judicial restraint, the judge's role in public education, and trends in court management, alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, court use of technology, and court costs.
Abstract
The opening article notes the trend in American society to demand instant answers to complex problems, stampeding public officials into highly touted superficial solutions that show little reflection and analysis. The courts are viewed as having to bear the brunt of the consequences of the quick-fix efforts to deal with criminal justice issues and social problems. Other articles speak against an activist court and reappraise judicial restraint. Judges are encouraged to increase their involvement in educating the public about judicial decisions and matters of law in one essay, while a responding essay sees a danger in judges becoming too responsive to public opinion and debate. The concluding article presents a view of judicial work in the 1980's that focuses on institutional constraints, nonjudicial alternatives for resolving disputes, the use of technology in the court system, the bench-lawyer-client triangle, and the cost of the judicial system. For individual entries, see NCJ 86976-77. Footnotes accompany the articles.