Chief Justiceships of the United States Supreme CourtSeries
This series delves into pivotal eras of American jurisprudence through the lives and decisions of its Chief Justices. Each volume examines the unique challenges and triumphs that shaped the United States' legal landscape. The collection offers profound insights into the political, social, and legal forces that influenced the nation's highest court. It serves as essential reading for anyone interested in the history of American law and its evolution.
The book analyzes the Hughes Court's decisions, arguing they were primarily evolutionary rather than revolutionary. It highlights how the court mirrored the social changes of its time, particularly following the appointment of justices aligned with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal values. The examination reveals the interplay between judicial decisions and the evolving societal landscape during that era.
"Jonathan Lurie offers a comprehensive examination of the Supreme Court tenure of the only person to have held the offices of president of the United States and chief justice of the United States Supreme Court. Taft joined the Court during the Jazz Age and the era of prohibition, a period of disillusion and retreat from the idealism reflected during Woodrow Wilson's presidency. Lurie considers how conservative trends at this time were reflected in key decisions of Taft's court. Although Taft was considered an undistinguished chief executive, such a characterization cannot be applied to his tenure as chief justice. Lurie demonstrates that Taft's leadership on this tribunal, matched by his productive relations with Congress, in effect created the modern Supreme Court. Furthermore he draws on the unpublished letters Taft wrote to his three children, Robert, Helen, and Charles, generally once a week. His missives contain an intriguing mixture of family news, insights concerning contemporaneous political issues, and occasional commentary on his fellow justices and cases under consideration. Lurie structures his study in parallel with the eight full terms in which Taft occupied the center seat. Lurie examines key decisions while avoiding legal jargon wherever possible. The high point of Taft's chief justiceship was the period from 1921 to 1925. The second part of his tenure was in fact a period of slow decline, with his health worsening with each passing year. By early 1930 he was forced to resign, and his death soon followed. In the epilogue Lurie explains why Taft is still regarded as an outstanding chief justice--if not a great jurist--and details why this distinction is important."-- Provided by publisher
