Includes bibliographical references (pages 113-129) and index.
Contents:
1. Origins -- 2. The Court at work (1) -- 3. The justices -- 4. The chief justice -- 5. The Court at work (2) -- 6. The Court and the other branches -- 7. The Court and the public -- 8. The Court and the world.
Summary:
"The U.S. Supreme Court: A Very Short Introduction draws on the Court's history and its written and unwritten rules to show how it operates in the twenty-first century. Today's Supreme Court, housed in a majestic building on Capitol Hill, bears little resemblance to the institution launched by the Framers of the Constitution and was originally seen as the weakest of the three branches of government. Over the next 200 years, the Court put the independence the Framers gave it to use and now largely defines itself, exercising so much power over how Americans live that some have begun to question whether the Court has gone too far. How do cases reach the Supreme Court? What features have other courts around the world taken from the Supreme Court, and what have they left?"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.