Although it was written at a time of national self-criticism,
"The Supreme Court on Trial" remains a classic examination of the
place of the Supreme Court in the American political system. When
originally published, the American people were engaged in a severe
examination of their basic commitments, their way of life, and the
direction they appeared to be going. The contemporary
literature--over the air, in newspaper editorials and columns, in
books and articles--was heavy with protest, admonition, and
exhortation. Although the times are different, the issues raised in
this volume continue to be important.
The American system exalts the American citizen as common man,
with claims to the dignity of citizens, and pleas for securing
their civil rights. At the same time, citizens are criticized for
their cultural provincialism, fear of intellectual endeavor, and
adoption of conformity. Political institutions are not immune from
such evaluations. We have created Hoover commissions to study the
national administrative system; the Electoral College has been the
subject of persistent scrutiny since World War II. There have been
demands for reconstitution of our state lawmaking bodies. What
links the concerns current at the time of original publication of
this volume and concerns today most obviously are deep concern we
now display for the character and quality of our public school
curriculum and for the administrative structure which maintains and
manages our schools. The role of the Supreme Court in these
concerns is evident.
The purpose of the book is to examine critically the place of
the Supreme Court in our political system and to improve the public
understanding of what the Supreme Court does, how its acts have
been received, and how its way of influencing public policy is
related to other methods of making public policy.
"Charles S. Hyneman" (1900-1985) was a Distinguished Professor
of Political Science at Indiana University. He was a past president
of the American Political Science Association and has also written
many books including "Bureaucracy in a Democracy and American
Political Writing During the Founding Era, 1760-1805" (with Donald
S. Lutz)
General
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