by Christopher C. Faille



Editorial Reviews

From Book News, Inc.
Faille argues that between the New Deal in 1937 and the Clarence Thomas
hearings in 1991, the US Supreme Court lost all its institutional stature
and public reputation by becoming just another arena for the same
political factions that have claimed the rest of the government. He says
that the Court was meant and was long considered to be free of faction but
is now conceived as nine power seekers whose motivations and behavior are
subject to the same congressional and press scrutiny as candidates and
movie stars. He points to the acceptance of the jurisprudence of realism
as the forbidden apple. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

Product Description:

The Decline and Fall of the Supreme Court examines the contemporary work
of the U.S. Supreme Court and the advice and consent role of the Senate
with regard to nominees to the Court. After presenting historical
background on the intentions of the federalists and 20th-century
jurisprudence, the work describes the baleful effects of the recent theory
known as "legal realism." The author examines the most dramatic of those
effects--the polarized, polarizing, and partisan confirmation hearings
with which the United States has become familiar--beginning with Abe
Fortas and culminating with Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas. This study
will be of interest to scholars and laypeople in American history,
political science, and law.

Product Details

Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Praeger Publishers
ISBN: 0275948269