Inspiring and instructive biographies of the 100 most influential judges from state and federal courts in one easy-to-access volume.
Judge Roy Bean's courtroom was a saloon. Judge Learned Hand defended free speech. Judge John J. Sirica presided over Watergate. Judge Joseph Story freed the Amistad captives. Judge Sarah T. Hughes reformed juvenile justice in Dallas. From all levels of the justice system come judges whose public service has impacted American lives and laws.
Great American Judges profiles 100 outstanding judges and justices in a full sweep of U.S. history. Chosen by lawyers, historians, and political scientists, these men and women laid the foundation of U.S. law. A complement to Great American Lawyers, together these two volumes create a complete picture of our nation's top legal minds from colonial times to today.
Following an introduction on the role of judges in American history are A–Z biographical entries portraying this diverse group from extraordinarily different backgrounds. Students and history enthusiasts will appreciate the accomplishments of these role models and the connections between their inspiring lives and their far-reaching legal decisions. William Rehnquist, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., and 12 other Supreme Court justices are found alongside federal judges like Skelly Wright, who ordered school desegregation in 1960. Influential state judges such as Rose Elizabeth Bird, California's first woman Supreme Court Chief Justice, are also featured.
Features
• 100 main A–Z entries and 50 shorter entries on lesser-known, but influential figures
• Contributions from historians, lawyers, political scientists, and other top scholars from across the nation
• A photograph or other depiction of each featured judge
• Detailed charts of birth dates, education, and years of service of key figures
• A foreword by historian Kermit L. Hall
Highlights
• Features judges considered "great" from a survey of scholars across many fields
• The only collection examining the lives of justices at both state and national levels
• Includes an introductory essay addressing the role judges have had in American history
• Profiles a diverse group of men and women who have been united in upholding the rule of law, no matter their background or the level of court on which they served
John R. Vile is professor and chair of the Political Science Department at Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN. He is the editor of ABC-CLIO's Great American Lawyers and author of The Constitutional Convention of 1787 and the award-winning Encyclopedia of Constitutional Amendments.
Reviews
"Great American Judges is recommended for public, high school, and undergraduate libraries."—American Reference Books Annual
"...extremely well written, entertaining, and informative articles on the judicial activities of these judges before their Supreme Court appointments...Recommended. Public and academic libraries."—Choice
"Great American Judges fills a gap in the judicial reference category by providing biographical information on the great federal and state judges, both living and dead, in one collection ... Great American Judges is a valuable tool for providing current and retrospective biographical information on the nation's 'best' judges. Academic and larger public libraries would find the source a welcome addition."—Booklist
