Description
Book SynopsisHow did the federal judiciary transcend early limitations to become a powerful institution of American governance? This book uncovers the causes and consequences of judicial institution-building in the United States from the commencement of the new government in 1789 through the close of the twentieth century.
Trade Review"Crowe takes the position that, despite the conventional wisdom that the institutional legitimacy of the federal judiciary is a product of its own decisions, the growth of the institutional development and legitimacy of the national courts is a result of continued and strategic decisions made by political actors outside the judiciary. This interesting, important, and timely thesis is supported by the author's use of events through history. Crowe proves to be a master storyteller; the book is excellently researched and written, and the thesis is strongly and articulately supported... Scholars interested in the judiciary, American political development, Congress, and U.S. history will benefit from this thoughtful book."--Choice "Building the Judiciary is excellently written and accessible to readers who may have no background in American politics. I highly recommend the book to comparative judicial politics scholars who want to learn about the institutional development of the American federal judiciary."--Maria Popova, Perspectives on Politics "To illustrate the political process of constructing federal judicial institutions, Crowe has composed a book of remarkable architectural elegance."--Stephen M. Engel, Tulsa Law Review
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Chapter One: The Puzzle of Judicial Institution Building 1 Chapter Two: The Early Republic: Establishment 23 Chapter Three: Jeffersonian and Jacksonian Democracy: Reorganization 84 Four The Civil War and Reconstruction: Empowerment 132 Chapter Five: The Gilded Age and the Progressive Era: Restructuring 171 Chapter Six: The Interwar and New Deal Years: Bureaucratization 197 Chapter Seven: Modern America: Specialization 238 Chapter Eight: Judicial Power in a Political World 270 Index 281
