The hollow hope : can courts bring about social change? / Gerald N. Rosenberg.

2nd ed.

Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 2008.

xiv, 525 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Contends that it's nearly impossible to generate significant reforms through litigation. The reason? American courts are ineffective and relatively weak--far from the uniquely powerful sources for change they're often portrayed as. Rosenberg supports this claim by documenting the direct and secondary effects of key court decisions--particularly Brown v. Board of Education and Roe v. Wade. He reveals, for example, that Congress, the White House, and a determined civil rights movement did far more than Brown to advance desegregation, while pro-choice activists invested too much in Roe at the expense of political mobilization. Further illuminating these cases, as well as the ongoing fight for same-sex marriage rights, Rosenberg also marshals impressive evidence to overturn the common assumption that even unsuccessful litigation can advance a cause by raising its profile. From publisher description.

Online version: Rosenberg, Gerald N., http://isni.org/isni/0000000083742026. Hollow hope. 2nd ed. Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 2008

English

January 22, 2020

Includes bibliographical references (pages 457-512) and index.