Judicial Process and Judicial Policymaking

by G. Alan Tarr

Overview

An excellent introduction to judicial politics as a method of analysis, the eighth edition of Judicial Process and Judicial Policymaking focuses on policy in the judicial process. Rather than limiting the text to coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court, G. Alan Tarr examines the judiciary as the third branch of government, and weaves four major premises throughout the text: (1) Courts in the United States have always played an important role in governing and their role has increased in recent decades; (2) Judicial policymaking is a distinctive activity; (3) Courts make policy in a variety of ways; and (4) Courts may be the objects of public policy, as well as creators.

New to the Eighth Edition

• Discusses appointments by Presidents Donald Trump and Joseph Biden to the federal courts, including the confirmations of Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Coney Barrett, and Jackson to the Supreme Court
• Introduces the controversy of the Supreme Court’s “shadow docket”
• Analyzes the legal and political aftermath of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overruling Roe v. Wade
• Examines other key state and federal rulings on non-unanimous verdicts in criminal cases, gerrymandering, climate change, and separation between church and state

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032575926
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	01/22/2024
Edition description:	8th ed.
Pages:	380
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

G. Alan Tarr received his doctorate from the University of Chicago. He is Board of Governors professor of political science emeritus and founder of the Center for State Constitutional Studies at Rutgers University, Camden. Professor Tarr has served as a constitutional consultant in Russia, South Africa, Cyprus, and Myanmar. A three-time NEH Fellow, he has most recently completed a study of judicial independence and accountability in the American states.

Table of Contents

1 Courts and Law

PART I: Structures and Participants in the Judicial Process

2 The Federal and State Court Systems

3 Judges

4 Lawyers

PART II :Judicial Process and Judicial Decision Making

5 Trials and Appeals

6 Criminal Justice and the Courts

7 Civil Justice and the Courts

8 Judicial Decision Making

PART III: Judicial Policymaking

9 Judicial Policymaking: An Introduction

10 Federal Court Policymaking

11 State Court Policymaking

Editorial Reviews

The book is well written, and students certainly find it understandable. I think the book appropriately does not assume that students have a background on this information and does a good job explaining whole concepts. I have used a version of Tarr's book for over fifteen years and the revisions for the seventh edition are really spot on. I especially like the change to “A Crisis in the Legal Profession.” I am now the director of our prelaw program and I am incorporating much more of the law school and legal profession components to my course curriculum.

— Kathryn DePalo, Florida International University

I like the organization and the flow of the book. I also find the writing to be quite good. And I think it keeps current as much as is possible with a textbook—important for student interest.

— Stuart Shiffman, Feldman-Wasser and formerly of Illinois State University

From the Publisher