The Pursuit of Justice: Supreme Court Decisions that Shaped America

by Kermit L. Hall, John J. Patrick

With a survey of the thirty Supreme Court cases that, in the opinion of U.S. Supreme Court justices and leading civics educators and legal historians, are the most important for American citizens to understand, The Pursuit of Justice is the perfect companion for those wishing to learn more about American civics and government. The cases range across three centuries of American history, including such landmarks as Marbury v. Madison (1803), which established the principle of judicial review; Scott v. Sandford (1857), which inflamed the slavery argument in the United States and led to the Civil War; Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), which memorialized the concept of separate but equal; and Brown v. Board of Education (1954), which overturned Plessy. Dealing with issues of particular concern to students, such as voting, school prayer, search and seizure, and affirmative action, and broad democratic concepts such as separation of powers, federalism, and separation of church and state, the
book covers all the major cases specified in the national and state civics and American history standards.

For each case, there is an introductory essay providing historical background and legal commentary as well as excerpts from the decision(s); related documents such as briefs or evidence, with headnotes and/or marginal commentary, some possibly in facsimile; and features or sidebars on principal players in the decisions, whether attorneys, plaintiffs, defendants, or justices. An introductory essay defines the criteria for selecting the cases and setting them in the context of American history and government, and a concluding essay suggests the role that the Court will play in the future.

Genres: Law, American History

256 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2006

About the author

Kermit Lance Hall was a noted legal historian who served as president of Utah State University from 2000 to 2005, and president of the at University at Albany from 2005 until his sudden death from a heart attack in 2006.

Reviews

[Rachit Nimavat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Initially, I was hesitant to read a ‘law book’, because of my high school civics class scars. However, this one is an unexpected delight. It details landmark Supreme Court cases involving constitutional issues from 1803 to 2000. Each case is presented with a comprehensive background, a succinct overview of the court’s proceedings and arguments, the court’s opinion, the new precedent it established and how it affected the future.

What makes this book fun for laypeople are the intriguing anecdotes about the individuals involved and the historical context of each case. For instance, in a case that resulted in Miranda warnings (“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?”), there is a tidbit about what happened to this Miranda: He was paroled in 1972, but in 1976 he was knifed and killed during a barroom fight in Phoenix. After arresting a suspect in the murder of Miranda, the policemen read the Court-mandated Miranda warning to him. He exercised his right to remain silent and was released from custody. No one was ever charged in the murder of Ernesto Miranda.

Highly recommend it! (Available for free at https://www.annenbergclassroom.org/re...)