On Democracy's Doorstep: The Inside Story of How the Supreme Court Brought "One Person, One Vote" to the United States - Rilegato

Smith, J. Douglas

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 0809074230 ISBN 13: 9780809074235

Casa editrice: Hill & Wang Pub, 2014

Riassunto

Winner of the Henry Adams Prize from the Society for History in the Federal Government
A Washington Post Notable Work of Nonfiction
A Slate Best Book of 2014

The inside story of the Supreme Court decisions that brought true democracy to the United States

As chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Earl Warren is most often remembered for landmark rulings in favor of desegregation and the rights of the accused. But Warren himself identified a lesser known group of cases-Baker v. Carr, Reynolds v. Sims, and their companions-as his most important work. J. Douglas Smith's On Democracy's Doorstep masterfully recounts the tumultuous and often overlooked events that established the principle of "one person, one vote" in the United States.

Before the Warren Court acted, American democracy was in poor order. As citizens migrated to urban areas, legislative boundaries remained the same, giving rural lawmakers from sparsely populated districts disproportionate political power-a power they often used on behalf of influential business interests. Smith shows how activists ranging from city boosters in Tennessee to the League of Women Voters worked to end malapportionment, incurring the wrath of chambers of commerce and southern segregationists as they did so. Despite a conspiracy of legislative inaction and a 1946 Supreme Court decision that instructed the judiciary not to enter the "political thicket," advocates did not lose hope. As Smith shows, they skillfully used the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause to argue for radical judicial intervention. Smith vividly depicts the unfolding drama as Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy pressed for change, Solicitor General Archibald Cox cautiously held back, young clerks pushed the justices toward ever-bolder reform, and the powerful Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen obsessively sought to reverse the judicial revolution that had upended state governments from California to Virginia.

Today, following the Court's recent controversial decisions on voting rights and campaign finance, the battles described in On Democracy's Doorstep have increasing relevance. With erudition and verve, Smith illuminates this neglected episode of American political history and confronts its profound consequences.

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Recensione

[On Democracy's Doorstep] is invaluable for anyone who wishes to understand the court, especially those who aren't familiar with legal jargon . . . Smith gives us the knowledge that imparts the power to change and, more importantly, the hope that it can succeed.-Kirkus (starred review)As historian Smith ably demonstrates, beginning in the late 19th century, malapportionment--the uneven representation of constituents by lawmakers--became the most serious threat to political equality . . . Smith takes a novel angle and writes with a light touch.--Publishers Weekly. One person, one vote lies at the heart of democracy. J. Douglas Smith tells the gripping story of how the U.S. Supreme Court boldly acted in the 1960s to bring that ideal closer to reality. And he unearths the first stirrings of backlash that augured today's polarized politics. A fascinating blend of political, legal, and social history.--Michael Waldman, President, Brennan Center for Justice at NY U School of Law, and author of The Second Amendment: A Biography. A topic as important and serious as voting deserves an important and serious book. This is it. J. Douglas Smith has done a masterful job of untangling the reapportionment thicket.--Julian Bond, former chairman of the NAACP and Distinguished Adjunct Professor, American University Over the course of our country's history, our ability to live up to our founders' vision has been tested time and time again. J. Douglas Smith tells the story of the people who met one of the most critical of these tests. This is the story of citizens, elected leaders, activists, lawyers, and judges who, over time, developed a deeper understanding of what true self-governance means. It's a story that reminds us that our key founding principle--that in a democracy, everybody counts--is worth fighting for. And that it must be protected with constant vigilance.Maggie Hassan, Governor of New Hampshire J. D --Various

L'autore

J. Douglas Smith is the author of Managing White Supremacy: Race, Politics, and Citizenship in Jim Crow Virginia, which received the 2003 Library of Virginia Literary Award in Nonfiction. He is the director of humanities at the Colburn Music Conservatory and lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Hill & Wang Pub
• Data di pubblicazione: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0809074230
• ISBN 13: 9780809074235
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 370