The Supreme Court by Lawrence A Baum

The Supreme Court by Lawrence A Baum

A 2018 Pew Research Center poll found that while 78 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents believed that the Supreme Court should base its decisions on the modern meaning of the Constitution, 67 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents asserted that Justices should rely on the Constitution's original meaning.

The Court often is the final arbiter of polarizing battles that originate in other branches of government. At the same time, however, its structural insulation from Congress, the Presidency, and electoral politics make the Supreme Court--at least in theory--well positioned to rise above the rough-and-tumble of politics.

This book examines the power of the Supreme Court in America's system of democratic governance in several ways. These include: reviewing debates over whether justices should interpret the Constitution in line with its original meaning or in accordance with present-day understandings; exploring the processes and factors that shape how cases are chosen and decided; considering contentious battles over the selection of justices; and examining the impact of the Court on American culture and society.

Lawrence Baum is a political science professor at Ohio State University. THE SUPREME COURT, 10TH EDITION (CQ Press 2010), SPECIALIZING THE COURTS (University of Chicago Press 2011), and JUDGES AND THEIR AUDIENCES (Princeton University Press 2006) are only a few of his works. His study focuses on judicial decision-making as well as the selection and careers of judges.