Judicial Policymaking: Readings on Law, Politics and Public Policy (Revised Edition)

Standard texts on law, courts and judicial policy-making 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 central questions about the complex and varied role of law and courts in contemporary American society: What are the core promises of and limits on law and courts? How do American courts differ from those abroad? If the American legal system is so costly and unpredictable, why can’t we replace it? And, finally, does the American legal system serve core democratic values?

The selections in Judicial Policymaking are supplemented with brief introductory essays, review questions, and suggestions for further course materials, such as movies and documentaries, that will enrich and enliven the study of law, politics and public policy-making. This text is designed to be used as both a stand-alone text or an invaluable supplement to standard textbooks.

Jeb Barnes received his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School and doctorate from UC 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.