NCJ Number
116920
Date Published
1988
Length
282 pages
Annotation
This volume is intended to provide students with a concise and comprehensive guide to the United States Supreme Court as a political institution and to serve as a general reference source.
Abstract
The text describes the court's basic operation and offers explanations for the behavior of the Court and the people and institutions that affect it. It defines the judicial processes that govern the Court and explains how the Court relates to other political entities. It also explains the criteria used to select justices, how cases are chosen, the forces that influence the Court's decisions, and the factors that determine the effectiveness with which those decisions are carried out. Individual chapters discuss the Court's role in general terms, summarize its history and place in the judicial system, consider the processes by which cases reach the court and are chosen for full decisions, and address the Court's caseload and efforts to deal with its growth. Other sections focus on the kinds of issues on which the Court concentrates, the policies that it supports, and the extent of its activism in policymaking. The final chapter deals with the Court's impacts on other government policymakers and on society. Tables, chapter notes, glossary, subject index, case index, list of individuals nominated for the Court, and 59 references. (Author summary modified)