The Supreme Court Reborn: The Constitutional Revolution in the Age of Roosevelt (Paperback)

by William E. Leuchtenburg (Author)
Key Phrases: court proposal, Supreme Court, New Deal, Fourteenth Amendment (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Eminent historian Leuchtenburg (Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal) has collected nine lectures and essays on the remarkable activity of the Supreme Court during FDR's presidency. While the essays are detailed enough for scholars, they remain quite readable, and the author engages other scholars to place his subject in context. He devotes several essays to FDR's "ill-fated 'Court-packing' scheme of 1937," noting that its genesis was not capricious but generated from "an inherent logic"; he also reflects on the public passions and political disruption this attempt to displace aged, conservative judges created. During that period, in 1937, the Court began an "astonishing about-face," upholding laws increasing state power. Leuchtenburg notes how different scholars have drawn on that period to justify or decry judicial activism. Other essays assesses Buck v. Bell, the inspiration for Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes's infamous "Three generations of imbeciles are enough" quote, and the process and politics behind the Court nomination of Hugo Black, who had concealed his past in the Ku Klux Klan.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
Leuchtenburg (history, Duke Univ.), a renowned historian of the Franklin D. Roosevelt era, provides a collection of his essays concerning FDR's attempt to "pack" the United States Supreme Court in 1937. The essays, some previously published, give broad historical views of the constitutional conflicts between FDR and the U.S. Supreme Court. Leuchtenburg gives careful analysis to various social and political movements during the mid-1930s. His essay, "The Origins of Franklin D. Roosevelt's 'Court-Packing' Plan," offers groundbreaking analysis of this key juncture in executive-judicial relationships. This collection of essays is highly recommended for individuals and scholars who wish to understand the separation of powers in the American national government during a time of national turmoil.?Steven Puro, St. Louis Univ.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (December 12, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195111311
• ISBN-13: 978-0195111316
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #832,293 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)