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Courts and Justice

A Reader, Fourth Edition

G. Larry Mays and Peter R. Gregware

Now in its fourth edition, Courts and Justice: A Reader continues to generate a constructive approach to the social and political nature of the U.S. court system. This updated collection of 26 carefully selected readings explores the public’s incorrect assumptions about the role and functions of the courts; media misrepresentations of its participants; and the ongoing conflict between citizens, professionals, and the executive branch over who should control the courts. In-depth material on areas of court study that are often overlooked, such as gender inclusion/bias, court administration, and wrongful convictions, highlights the debate over judicial independence, the need for accountability, and prosecutorial decision making.

$33.95 list, 491 pages

10-digit ISBN: 1-57766-585-6

13-digit ISBN: 978-1-57766-585-4

© 2009

Table of Contents

Introduction: Trying to Make Sense of It All

Section I: OVERVIEW OF COURTS

1. A Brief Introduction to Courts (G. Larry Mays)

2. In the Eye of the Beholder: The Relationship Between the Public and the Courts (Frances Kahn Zemans)

3. On the Myth of Written Constitutions: The Disappearance of Criminal Jury Trial (John H. Langbein)

4. Legal and Democratic Subcultures: Understanding How the Law and Political Forces Shape Criminal Sentencing (Matthew S. Crow and Marc Gertz)

5. Contested Ground: Teaching Courts in the Twenty-first Century (Robert H. Chaires and Susan A. Lentz)

Section II: DECISION MAKING IN THE SHADOWS: Little Understood Components and Processes in the Criminal Justice System

6. From U.S. Magistrates to U.S. Magistrate Judges: Developments Affecting the Federal District Courts' Lower Tier of Judicial Officers (Christopher E. Smith)

7. Pleading Guilty and Plea Bargaining: The Dynamics of Avoiding Trial in American Criminal Courts (Joseph B. Sanborn, Jr.)

8. Prosecutorial Discretion under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines (Keith A. Wilmot)

Section III: LIMITING OR TRUSTING JURIES?

9. Jury Instructions: A Persistent Failure to Communicate (Walter W. Steele, Jr. and Elizabeth G. Thornburg)

10. The American Jury: Handicapped in the Pursuit of Justice (Saul M. Kassin)

11. The Impact of Sequestration on Juries (James P. Levine)

12. Merciful Juries: The Resilience of Jury Nullification (Alan W. Scheflin and Jon M. Van Dyke)

Section IV: PROBLEMS FOR THE JUDICIARY

13. Court Administration in the United States: The Ongoing Problems (David Orrick)

14. Ringing in Arizona: Did the U.S. Supreme Court's Decision in Ring v. Arizona Adversely Impact the State High Court's Workload? (Frances P. Bernat)

15. Review Essay on Judicial Recruitment and Selection (Elliot E. Slotnick)

16. Judicial Recruitment and Racial Diversity on State Courts: An Overview (Barbara Luck Graham)

17. Courts and the Challenges of Wrongful Convictions (Marvin Zalman)

Section V: POLITICS IN THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS

18. Why Prosecutors Misbehave (Bennett L. Gershman)

19. The Criminal Defense Lawyer: Zealous Advocate, Double Agent, or Beleaguered Dealer? (Rodney J. Uphoff)

20. Privatizing Due Process: Issues in the Comparison of Assigned Counsel, Public Defender, and Contracted Indigent Defense Systems (Alissa Pollitz Worden)

21. Calling a Strike a Ball: Jury Nullification and "Three Strikes" Cases (Mary Dodge, John C. Harris, and Alison Burke)

22. Normal Homicides, Normal Defendants: Finding Leniency in Oklahoma's Murder Conviction Machinery (David Keys)

Section VI: THE FUTURE OF COURTS: Thinking Outside the Lines

23. Gender Bias in the Courts: A Review of the Literature (Craig Hemmens, Kristin Strom, and Elicia Schlegel)

24. Making a Difference: An Overview of Gender and the Courts (Susan Lentz)

25. Secret Justice (John Gibeaut)

26. Citizens, Professionals, or the Executive: Who Owns the Courts? (Nancy V. Baker and Peter R. Gregware)