Judicial Process in America

by Robert A. Carp

Known for shedding light on the link among the courts, public policy, and the political environment, Judicial Process in America provides a comprehensive overview of the American judiciary.  In this Tenth Edition , authors Robert A. Carp, Ronald Stidham, Kenneth L. Manning, and Lisa M. Holmes examine the recent Supreme Court rulings on same-sex marriage and health care subsidies, the effect of three women justices on the Court’s patterns of decision, and the policy-making role of state tribunals. Original data on the decision-making behavior of the Obama trial judges―which are unavailable anywhere else―ensure this text’s position as a standard bearer in the field.

Genres: Textbooks, Nonfiction, Political Science, Politics, Law

488 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1989

Reviews

[Sarana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for a class but it was written well and not as dry as some other textbooks can be. It included relevant information, even beyond the 2016 election, which helped correlate themes to modern times.

[Tess McDonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

I now know more, onto the next class.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, this was an informative book that decently presented otherwise dry, complex material.

The text is unfortunately very dense, meaning that there is a lot to read through in order to get to the key facts. The long paragraphs would have benefited from being broken up into bullet points. The author bolds important terminology but unfortunately does not define all of them in the glossary. If the term was important enough to bold, a quick-reference definition should be provided, especially for those readers who do not have prior knowledge of legal terminology.

Format aside, the text is actually well-organized. The layout of the chapters is natural and fluid. The author appropriately provides necessary historical background to explain how the system got to where it is today. He splits federal and state issues into two separate chapters, which is especially helpful in understanding the differences and distinctions between federal and state jurisdictions.

Overall, this is a good introductory reference book on the subject of the American judicial system.

[Lanny Newton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned a lot about the judicial system from it. The book really changed my perspective on the courts.

[Heather Lippe · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was easy to digest and really explained the judicial system.