"A stunning work of history."—Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of No Ordinary Time and Team of Rivals Beginning in 1935, the Supreme Court's conservative majority left much of FDR's agenda in ruins. The pillars of the New Deal fell in short succession. It was not just the New Deal but democracy itself that stood on trial. In February 1937, Roosevelt struck back with an audacious plan to expand the Court to fifteen justices—and to "pack" the new seats with liberals who shared his belief in a "living" Constitution.

To have a voice in shaping government policy has been a goal of the American people since the nation's founding. Yet, government seems even less accessible now than in the past. An increasing rate of incumbency in Congress, the unwieldy committee system that controls legislation, and the decline of political parties have all weakened representation and alienated Americans from the seat of power. The one remaining way to produce major and coherent change in national policy is through partisan realignment—a sharp, enduring shift in voter support of the two major parties. This book is about the phenomenon of realignment in American politics. It not only brings together and assesses previous work in the area but also breaks new ground in the analysis of the effects of realignment on political elites and public policy. In addition, it is the first study to present an integrated theory of realignment that can be applied to the understanding of mass, elite, and policy change in times of social crisis. Contributors include Lawrence McMichael, David Nexon, Louis Seagull, Robert Lehnen, Philip Converse, Gregory Markus, Lester Seligman, Michael King, David Brady, Kenneth Meier, Kenneth Kramer, David Adamany, Charles Stewart, Susan Hansen, and the editors.Bruce A. Campbell taught political science at the University of Georgia. He is the author of The American Electorate.

Consists of lists of objects (including maker and location) with no indexes or further descriptions. Preceded by a one-page preface by Nancy Erickson, Secretary of the Senate, Executive Secretary of the Senate Commission on Art.

Although not as glamourous as the Presidency and not as raucous as Congress, the Supreme Court quietly wields more power and influence over life in the United States than the other two combined. There is not a facet of life in the US that the Supreme Court is not called upon sooner or later to offer an opinion about. This bibliography gathers important literature about the Supreme Court and provides access through subject groupings as well as author and subject indexes. Contents: General; History; Separation of Powers; Constitutional Law; Freedom of Religion; Judicial Process; Civil Rights; Justices; Freedoms; Judicial Power and Indexes.

In 1958, Chief Justice Earl Warren claimed the Supreme Court had the exclusive power to interpret the Constitution and said its authority had been respected by the nation for 200 year. Even for Warren, it was a remarkable misstatement. Just how remarkable is the subject of The Last Democrats, the story of how four presidents, Jefferson, Madison, Jackson, and Lincoln - defeated claims of judicial supremacy, and how a fifth president, Franklin Roosevelt, lost everything they had gained. Drawing on letters, diaries, debates, and speeches, and filled with anecdotes that add color and drama, such as Lincoln's decision to issue an arrest warrent for Chief Justice Taney, the book recounts a largely forgotten history. The story begins in 1787 when a group of delegates to the Federal Convention gathered at Benjamin Franklin's home in Philadelphia to enjoy a csak of London stout and ale. In four months, this assembly of demi-gods, as Jefferson called them, created the first modern government run by the poeple. Popular sovereignty did not extend to the Court, but this book describes how the Framers made sure its power were limited. The story proceeds to the struggle between Jefferson and Chief Justice Marshall, including the decision in Marbury v. Madison that future courts used as a springboard in their rise to power. Jefferson said the Court twisted the Constitution like a piece of wax, and this book tells how he used impeachment proceedings to curb its power. The story continues with Jackson's refusal to enforce two Marshall rulings, followed by Taney's inflammatory ruling in Dred Scott v. Sanford that called blacks "an inferior class of beings." Lincoln openly defied Taney, but the practice of overriding election officials returned 30 years later as conservative judges blocked liberal efforts to institute social and economic reofrms. Progressives such as Teddy Roosevelt and Robert LaFollette attacked the rulings and paid dearly: Roosevelt was charged with "legalized terrorism" for opposing the courts, while LaFollette was called a Bolshevik, accused of flying the red flag. The Franklin Roosevelt chapter describes his court-packing plan and explains how one of his supporters, "Bolshevik Burt" Wheeler, led a mutiny against the plan in the Senate, where FDR was compared to Stalin, Mussolini, and Hitler. The Court claimed victory in the battle for supremacy in 1958, as presidents from Eisenhower to Bush stood by while the courts rewrote the Constitution on everything from school prayer to abortion, racial quotas, gay marriage, and the War on Terror. The book concludes with a discussion of the ideas that have been suggested to return the Court to the limited role envisioned by the Framers. -- from dust jacket.