Author Description

Standard texts on law, courts, and judicial policymaking offer a collection of facts and details about the intricacies of the American legal system and judicial decision-making, but they often ignore how law and courts fit within broader political and policy-making processes. Judicial Policymaking: Readings on Law, Politics, and Public Policy takes a different approach. It provides a broad range of materials, including scholarly writings, newspaper articles, and political cartoons, to give readers a set of tools for exploring the complex and varied role of law and courts in contemporary American society. The book explores topics such as the core promises of and limits on law and courts, American courts compared to those abroad, the possibility of replacing such a costly and unpredictable American legal system, and the question of the American legal system serving core democratic values. This new edition features updated reading selections that explore relevant and recent topics, and all readings are supplemented with brief introductory essays, review questions, and suggestions for further course materials, such as movies and documentaries, which enrich and enliven the study of law, politics, and public policymaking. Judicial Policymaking can be used as both a standalone text and an invaluable supplement to standard textbooks. Jeb Barnes received his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School and doctorate from University of California, Berkeley. He is currently a tenured professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Southern California, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on law, politics, and public policy.