Examines and measures the extent to which statutory language affects judicial behavior.How does the language of legislative statutes affect judicial behavior? Scholars of the judiciary have rarely studied this question despite statutes being, theoretically, the primary opportunity for legislatures to ensure that those individuals who interpret the law will follow their preferences. In Checking the Courts, Kirk A. Randazzo and Richard W. Waterman offer a model that integrates ideological and legal factors through an empirical measure of statutory discretion. The model is tested across multiple judicial institutions, at both the federal and state levels, and reveals that judges are influenced by the levels of discretion afforded in the legislative statutes. In those cases where lawmakers have clear policy preferences, legislation encourages judges to strictly interpret the plain meaning of the law. Conversely, if policy preferences are unclear, legislation leaves open the possibility that judges will make decisions based on their own ideological policy preferences. Checking the Courts thus provides us with a better understanding of the dynamic interplay between law and ideology.

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Examines the Supreme Court and its practices in areas including appointments, presidential politicking, and Court decision-making

Product Description: Justice Anthony Kennedy is the nation's most influential jurist, but his constitutional opinions often elicit the criticism that he is led more by personal whimsy than by constitutional principle. A few recent defenders have described Kennedy's jurisprudence as uniquely devoted to the principle of liberty and even to libertarianism...read more

A close-up portrait of the trio of country music singers traces their rise to success, from their native Texas to their top-selling 1998 album Wide Open Spaces, and discusses the private lives of sisters Martie and Emily Erwin and their partner, Natalie Maines. Discography

Examines the Supreme Court and its practices in areas including appointments, presidential politicking, and Court decision-making

Product Description: This book deals with the central question in statutory interpretation — the role of the judge. It argues that it is both legitimate and desirable for the interpreter to take into account policy considerations when determining the meaning of a statute...read more