Foregrounding religious, racialized and gendered disputes, Decision Making and Controversies in State Supreme Courts examines state supreme court decision making during controversies. Using case studies within Alabama, Louisiana, and Wisconsin, Salmon Shomade identifies and analyses the predominant factors influencing decision making in times of court contention. In this book, Shomade assesses how the justices’ interpersonal dynamics and controversial issues of religion, race, and gender impact their decision making. Specifically, the book focuses on former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore and the Ten Commandments monument crisis, Louisiana Chief Justice Bernette Johnson and her elevation dispute, and former Wisconsin Justice David Prosser and his conflicts with two female colleagues. The book contributes to the literature on decision making in state appellate courts by building upon established models utilized for assessing these courts.

Despite having the final word on many policy issues, state supreme courts have received much less scholarly attention than the United States Supreme Court. Examining these often neglected institutions, this book demonstrates that by increasing our knowledge of the behavior of state supreme court judges across differing areas of law, we can enrich our understanding of the function of state supreme courts, and the relations between these institutions and other branches of government. In addition, Judicial Review in State Supreme Courts advances our conceptualization of the judiciary and offers a more general theory about judicial behavior, accountability, and the role of courts in American society. Langer looks at the policy-making powers of state supreme courts, and the conditions under which justices are most likely to review and invalidate state laws, portraying judges as forward thinking individuals who pursue both policy and electoral goals.

This book provides a comprehensive analysis of American public opinion on the key constitutional controversies of the twentieth century: desegregation, school prayer, abortion, the death penalty, gay rights, and national security, to name just a few. It examines each controversy, explaining how public attitudes have shifted over time, especially in the wake of prominent Supreme Court decisions.

In Children's Rights Under the Law, Professor Samuel M. Davis examines ways in which the law relates to children, from private law (torts, contracts, property, child labor, and emancipation) to public law (First Amendment rights of children in school, abortion decision-making for children, school discipline, compulsory school attendance, and regulation of obscenity). Professor Davis discusses the major Supreme Court decisions involving the parent-child-state relationship. He describes issues of medical decision-making for children, personal freedoms of children, and property entitlements of children, and addresses issues that arise in the educational context, or "school law." Professor Davis also covers child neglect and abuse, and summarizes major Supreme Court cases in the juvenile justice area, discussing the broad jurisdiction of the juvenile court, arrest and search and seizure as they apply to children, and police interrogation of children. Finally, he examines how some cases are prosecuted as criminal cases in adult court, issues related to the adjudicatory process (akin to the trial in adult court), and issues related to disposition in juvenile court (akin to the sentencing phase of criminal proceedings).

This lucidly-written text is aimed at students and teachers of American politics who have little or no previous knowledge of the United States Supreme Court, the third co-equal branch of national government.

The Supreme Court has been the site of some of the great debates of American history, from child labor and prayer in the schools, to busing and abortion. The Oxford Guide to United States Supreme Court Decisions offers lively and insightful accounts of the most important cases ever argued before the Court, from Marbury v. Madison and Scott v. Sandford (the Dred Scott decision) to Brown v. Board of Education and Roe v. Wade. This new edition of the Guide contains more than 450 entries on major Supreme Court cases, including 53 new entries on the latest landmark rulings. Among the new entries are Bush v. Gore, Nixon v. United States, Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and Rumsfeld v. Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights. Four decisions (Hamdi v. Bush, Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, Rasu v. Bush, and Rumsfeld v. Padilla) are considered in a single essay entitled "Enemy Combatant Cases." Arranged alphabetically and written by eminent legal scholars, each entry provides the United States Reports citation, the date the case was argued and decided, the vote of the Justices, who wrote the opinion for the Court, who concurred, and who dissented. More important, the entries feature an informative account of the particulars of the case, the legal and social background, the reasoning behind the Courts decision, and the cases impact on American society. For this edition, Ely has added an extensive Further Reading section and revised the Case Index and Topical Index. For anyone interested in the great controversies of our time, this invaluable book is a must reada primer on the epic constitutional battles that have informed American life.

Special Education Law, Sixth Edition, written by Laura Rothstein and Scott F. Johnson, provides a comprehensive and current overview of the major federal law, and judicial interpretations of those laws, that apply to special education students. School administrators and attorneys attend to special education issues on a regular basis, and local superintendents, principals, special education professionals, psychologists, and regional and state administrators must also be familiar with the legal requirements of educating students with disabilities. Classroom teachers in all types of classrooms need to be aware of the laws that affect them and their students. Special Education Law 6e is intended for students in education and educational administration, both graduate and undergraduate, as well as law students in courses on special education law, school law, and special education. The framework of this book begins with five introductory chapters on the major issues that are addressed in special education law. These topics include an overview the legal system, the history of special education, major statutes in special education law, stakeholders such as students, families, educators, and advocates, and finally, requirements for protection under various special education laws. The remainder of the text presents and analyzes special education case law within specific contexts. The text helps educators understand what the law requires so that they can make decisions that comply with these laws. Updates for the sixth edition include a major reorganization of the text. Chapters have been streamlined and edited for clarity, combining a previous chapter on Related Services with Free Appropriate Publication Education, and folding Eligibility into Identification, Evaluation, and Eligibility, so students can better see the connections between these topics. Many case excerpts have been shortened or summarized to provide students with a more straightforward and focused reading experience. The latest updates in statutes, regulations, and case law are included throughout the text.

Judicial Process in America, Twelfth Edition, by Robert Carp, Kenneth Manning, and Lisa Holmes is a market-leading and comprehensive textbook for both academic and general audiences. The book explains the link between the courts, public policy, and the political environment. Considering the courts from every level, the authors cover judges, lawyers, litigants, and the variables at play in the judicial decision-making process, the impact of those decisions on American citizens, and what the consequences are for the United States today.

Provides students and scholars with a valuable reference source in the field of American Politics. The Companion will equip readers with a deep understanding of the complex interaction between governmental institutions and processes and the wider American economy and society that they govern.