NCJ Number
83115
Editor(s)
S S Ulmer
Date Published
1981
Length
575 pages
Annotation
This collection of readings focuses on the American judicial process; the 80 selections address such topics as the courts, participants in the judicial process, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Abstract
Three major themes dominate the work. First, the importance of the discretionary power of policemen, prosecutors, and judges with regard to the democratic political system is emphasized in several readings. The impact of judicial discretion is further explored in the several selections which pertain to the U.S. Supreme Court. The second major thrust of the work highlights the structure and purposes of judicial institutions and the place of each in a sociopolitical setting. Roles that are either highly significant, newly assigned, or currently questioned are emphasized. Illustrative here are the materials on law as social control, the selection of judges, and the delivery of legal services via private or public attorneys. The third interest reflected in the readings focuses on current problems in the judicial system as well as practical and theoretical controversies over the way in which the system functions. Included here are the views of Raoul Berger on constitutionalism and the rule of law, Warren Burger on trial court advocacy, and Donald Horowitz on the courts as social policy makers. Tables are provided in several selections, and an index is included in the work. (Author summary modified)