Judges and Politics in the Contemporary Age (Bowerdean Briefings Series)

The rise to prominence of judges may seem new to Europeans but it is of course not new to the citizens of the United States of America. 150 years ago Alexis de Tocqueville observed that there was scarcely a question which divided the American people that did not end up in the Supreme Court for resolution. Anybody interested in the interplay between the judicial and political functions of a contemporary democracy must take a good look at the United States. This book does just that.It examines how this has taken place over the last half century and asks why it has happened. It discusses the role of men like Lord Denning in Britain or Earl Warren in the United States, who had the strength of character and self-belief to challenge old orthodoxies and help usher in new values and expectations.The shifting balance between the judicial and the political institutions of government is important because it reflects important changes in our political systems. This book is intended to set the debate in a context which is readily comprehensible to any interested and intelligent citizen.