Mary L. Volcansek is professor emerita of political science at Texas Christian University where she also served as dean of liberal arts (2000-2007). She had previously taught at Florida International University and was a Jean Monnet Fellow at the European University Institute and a Visiting Professor at the University of Rome, “La Sapienza.” She has published widely on U.S., Italian, European, and transnational courts. Most recently, she was co-editor with John F. Stack, Jr. of Courts and Terrorism (Cambridge University Press, 2011) and with Donald Jackson and Michael Tolley of Globalizing Justice (SUNY Press, 2009). She has published more than fifty articles and book chapters, in addition to twelve monographs or edited volumes.

An accessible, authoritative, and much-needed introduction to comparative judicial politics that summarizes the key themes of the sub-field, building on seminal works and recent scholarship while discussing a range of real-life examples. Strongly recommended for law and political science students, and for anyone interested in knowing more about the growing importance of judicial institutions in political life.

• Chapter 1, Law, Courts, and Politics, Chapter 2, Legal Traditions, Chapter 3, Lawyers and Access to Justice, Chapter 4, Judges, Chapter 5, Constitutional Review, Chapter 6, International and Transnational Courts, Chapter 7, The Impact of Courts, Chapter 8, The Legitimacy of Courts,