James W. Ely, Jr. – författare

Offering a comprehensive and accessible guide to the most important judicial body in America, The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States is an indispensable resource for understanding the workings of American law. This new edition is the first substantial revision to the best-selling work first published back in 1992. The Court has continued to write constitutional history over the eleven years since publication of the first edition. Two new justices have joined the high court, more than 800 cases have been decided and a good deal of new scholarship has appeared on many of the topics central to the volume. In many cases, moreover, even though most of the new decisions themselves would not warrant a separate entry, the holdings associated with them have further defined crucial areas of constitutional law, such as abortion, freedom of religion, school desegregation, freedom of speech, voting rights, and the rights of the accused. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist presided over the impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton, and the Court as a whole played a decisive and controversial role in the outcome of the 2000 presidential election. Under Rehnquistss leadership, a bare majority of the justices have rewritten significant areas of the law dealing with federalism, sovereign immunity, and the commerce power. In total, nearly 100 new articles have been added to the companion, bringing the total to over 1200, ensuring the Oxford Companion remains the most authoritative and comprehensive guide available, and an ideal companion to Kermit Hall's The Oxford Companion to American Law.

Few provisions of the American Constitution have had such a tumultuous history as the contract clause. Prompted by efforts in a number of states to interfere with debtor-creditor relationships after the Revolution, the clause-Article I, Section 10-reads that no state shall ""pass any. . . Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts."" Honoring contractual commitments, in the framers' view, would serve the public interest to encourage commerce and economic growth. How the contract clause has fared, as chronicled in this book by James W. Ely, Jr., tells us a great deal about the shifting concerns and assumptions of Americans. Its history provides a window on matters central to American constitutional history, including the protection of economic rights, the growth of judicial review, and the role of federalism. Under the leadership of Chief Justice John Marshall, the Supreme Court construed the provision expansively, and it rapidly became the primary vehicle for federal judicial review of state legislation before the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment. Indeed, the contract clause was one of the most litigated provisions of the Constitution throughout the nineteenth century, and its history reflects the impact of wars, economic distress, and political currents on reading the Constitution. Ely shows how, over time, the courts carved out several malleable exceptions to the constitutional protection of contracts-most notably the notion of an inalienable police power-thus weakening the contract clause and enhancing state regulatory authority. His study documents the near-fatal blow dealt to the provision by New Deal constitutionalism, when the perceived need for governmental intervention in the economy superseded the economic rights of individuals. Though the 1970s saw a modest revival of interest in the contract clause, the criteria for invoking it remain uncertain. And yet, as state and local governments try to trim the benefits of public sector employees, the provision has once again figured prominently in litigation. In this book, James Ely gives us a timely, analytical lens for understanding these contemporary challenges, as well as the critical historical significance of the contract clause.

A fresh interpretation of the workings and legacy of the Supreme Court during the tenure of Chief Justice Melville W. Fuller.The Fuller Court: Justices, Rulings, and Legacy presents an in-depth analysis of the decisions and impact of the U.S. Supreme Court during the twenty-two year reign of Chief Justice Melville W. Fuller. An exploration of key Court decisions—ranging from railroad rate regulation and the Due Process Clause to the 1894 income tax—reveals how the Court assigned a high priority to individual liberty, which it defined largely in economic terms.A revealing discussion of the Commerce Clause and the Interstate Commerce Commission shows how the Fuller Court both limited and accepted some expansion of federal authority. Profiles of the nineteen justices who served on the Fuller Court place a special emphasis on those who made the most significant impact, including John Marshall Harlan, Samuel F. Miller, and Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Places the work of the Fuller Court in historical context and examines the economic and social changes that were transforming U.S. society at the end of the 19th centuryProvides an analysis of the historical impact and continuing legacy of the Fuller Court's decisions in the areas of federalism, protection of liberty, and the rights of property owners