NCJ Number
190340
Date Published
1999
Length
769 pages
Annotation
This text provides an overview on judging in the American legal system.
Abstract
Part One of this book introduces and explains the basic ideas of good judging under law and some of their implications. Part Two begins with an introduction to features of American federalism that bear upon the roles and functions of Federal and State judges in the legal system. These features grow out of the distinctive governmental framework, and they account for some of the distinctive characteristics of judging in the American legal system. Part Two also discusses changes in the legal system and the judging process that result from ongoing transformations in American social, political, and personal relations. The discussion is extended to changes in the judicial role with respect to making merits decisions and managerial decisions. Also discussed is the role of juries, who have been given more power than they have wielded in legal systems generally and perhaps at any time in history. Part Three explains in further detail things that professionals must know in order to do their work. Some of the extended implications of basic ideas about judging are complex because of the use of legal jargon, the nature of legal disputes, and the official role of the judge. Footnotes and indexes