Justice Rehnquist, the Supreme Court, and the Bill of Rights

The Bill of Rights and Civil War Amendments created a triangular power struggle among state, nation and individual. Using chronological court cases, this book examines how the Supreme Court became arbiter among the three claimants to power, sometimes backtracking and sometimes taking a bold leap forward. Focusing on Justice Rehnquist’s lengthy term on the Supreme Court, Steven T. Seitz examines the growth and emphasis of individual sovereignty throughout the twentieth century. Highlighting some of the dispositional problems with Rehnquist decisions, the book uses the sustainable case law standard instead of applauding either conservative or liberal point of view which provides new vantage points on topics like equal protection of women, due process in several arenas, contracts, free speech, sex, and guns.

Steven Seitz has written a fascinating history of the Supreme Court by looking at how particular areas of law – such as privileges and immunities, due process, criminal procedure, sex discrimination, free speech, and guns – have changed over time. The book is clearly written and accessible so that both experts and those with little familiarity of constitutional law can benefit from reading it. By focusing on the decisions, and not what commentators say about them, Seitz offers an excellent picture of how constitutional law has evolved over the course of American history.

Steven T. Seitz is associate professor of political science at the University of Illinois.