US Supreme Court Doctrine in the State High Courts

Michael P. Fix is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Georgia State University. His research focuses on the evolution of law and policy over time. His work has appeared in numerous political science journals and law reviews including Political Research Quarterly, Social Science Quarterly, Vanderbilt Law Review, and Justice System Journal. Benjamin J. Kassow is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at the University of North Dakota. His research focuses on how judges formulate opinions and the impact of judicial decisions, broadly defined. He has published articles in a variety of journals, including Political Research Quarterly, American Politics Research, and the Journal of Law and Courts.

'With rich descriptions and rigorous analysis, Fix and Kassow utilize key death penalty, Establishment Clause, and gun control decisions to show that treatments of US Supreme Court precedent are complex, nuanced, and sometimes surprising. This exciting new work takes a fresh, innovative approach to understanding the development of legal policy, producing fascinating results and making a truly outstanding contribution to the scholarly literature.' Melinda Gann Hall, Michigan State University

• 1. Introduction; 2. Role of Precedent; 3. Theory of Precedent Usage; 4. Conceptualizing and Measuring; 5. Responses to Atkins v. Virginia; 6. Usage of Lemon v. Kurtzman; 7. Responses to Heller & McDonald; 8. Concluding Thoughts; References; Index.