The Handy Supreme Court Answer Book: The History and Issues Explained

by David L Hudson, Jr.
Handy Supreme Court 2e
High Court History and Issues Explained!

How has the U.S. Supreme Court justices’ thinking on gun rights, abortion, free speech, freedom of religion, and many other controversial issues evolved? What were some of the Court’s most important and monumental decisions … and failures? Which justices have—and still have—the most influence on the Court? Has the nominating process always been so political and bitter?

Legal expert David L. Hudson Jr., J.D., takes a fascinating and insightful journey through the creation, history, and rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court in The Handy Supreme Court Answer Book: The History and Issues Explained. He analyses controversial issues and various points of view and sheds a light on the differing and changing interpretations of the critical issues before the Court, as well as the Court’s history, its confirmation process, some of the its most important justices, and fun trivia, including …

  • Which justices were not born in the United States?
  • What movie starring Jack Nicholson became the subject of an obscenity prosecution?
  • Have any Supreme Court justices been impeached?
  • Which Supreme Court justice in the 20th century did not have a law degree?
  • What are some suggestions for reforming the confirmation process?
  • What was the historical irony of the Warren Court being called the great liberal court?
  • Why did Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dissent in the Lily Ledbetter case?
  • Did the U.S. Supreme Court strike down the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools?
  • How did the Supreme Court emphasize privacy protection for cell phone searches?
  • How has the Supreme Court dealt with the death penalty for juveniles?
  • Why was the decision in Roe v. Wade not the leading story in many newspapers on the date of its decision?
  • Why, according to Justice Samuel Alito, was Roe such a bad decision?
  • Why is interpreting the Second Amendment such a challenge?
  • Who was the only Supreme Court justice to have signed the Declaration of Independence?
  • Which Justice wrote a book about the United States as a Christian nation?
  • In what decision did the Court rule that a Florida city intentionally targeted unpopular religious beliefs?
  • What Supreme Court justice was formerly a member of the Ku Klux Klan?
  • What is the nickname of the Supreme Court Building?

    From the origins of the court to major decisions, The Handy Supreme Court Answer Book is a helpful primer on the United State’s highest court, its history, traditions, and development, and it sheds a light on the differing and changing interpretations of the critical issues before the court, as well as the confirmation process and some of the court’s most important justices. Richly illustrated, it has a helpful bibliography and extensive index. Thoroughly updated since it was last published fifteen years ago, this invaluable resource will help everyone understand the rulings and importance of the U.S. Supreme Court!

  • About David L Hudson, Jr.

    David L Hudson, Jr. David L. Hudson, Jr., J.D. is an Assistant Professor of Law, teaching First Amendment Law and Bar Exam Workshop at Belmont University’s College of Law. For 17 years, he was an attorney and scholar at the First Amendment Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Hudson also has taught classes at Vanderbilt Law School and the Nashville School of Law, and he served as a senior law clerk for the Tennessee Supreme Court. In June 2018, the Nashville School of Law awarded him its Distinguished Faculty Award. He earned his undergraduate degree from Duke University and his law degree from Vanderbilt Law School. He is an author, co-author, or co-editor of more than 40 books, including Visible Ink Press’s The Handy Law Answer Book, The Handy Supreme Court Answer Book, and The Handy American History Answer Book, as well as Let the Students Speak: A History of the Fight for Free Expression in American Schools and The Encyclopedia of the First Amendment (co-editor). He writes regularly for the American Bar Association’s Preview of United States Supreme Court Cases and ABA Journal, and the First Amendment Watch, and the Free Speech Center. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

    Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee

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