SKU: 88951657882

The U.S. Supreme Court: A Very Short Introduction

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The U.S. Supreme Court: A Very Short IntroductionFor 30 years, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Linda Greenhouse chronicled the activities of the U. S. Supreme Court and its justices as a correspondent for the New York Times. In this Very Short Introduction, she draws on her deep knowledge of the court's history and of its written and unwritten rules to show readers how the Supreme Court really works. Greenhouse offers a fascinating institutional biography of a place and its people men and women

For 30 years, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Linda Greenhouse chronicled the activities of the U.S. Supreme Court and its justices as a correspondent for the New York Times. In this Very Short Introduction, she draws on her deep knowledge of the court's history and of its written and unwritten rules to show readers how the Supreme Court really works.

Greenhouse offers a fascinating institutional biography of a place and its people--men and women who exercise great power but whose names and faces are unrecognized by many Americans and whose work often appears cloaked in mystery. How do cases get to the Supreme Court? How do the justices go about deciding them? What special role does the chief justice play? What do the law clerks do? How does the court relate to the other branches of government? Greenhouse answers these questions by depicting the justices as they confront deep constitutional issues or wrestle with the meaning of confusing federal statutes. Throughout, the author examines many individual Supreme Court cases to illustrate points under discussion, ranging from Marbury v. Madison, the seminal case which established judicial review, to the recent District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), which struck down the District of Columbia's gun-control statute and which was, surprisingly, the first time in its history that the Court issued an authoritative interpretation of the Second Amendment. To add perspective, Greenhouse also compares the Court to foreign courts, revealing interesting differences. For instance, no other country in the world has chosen to bestow life tenure on its judges.

The second edition of Greenhouse's Very Short Introduction tracks the changes in the Court's makeup over the last eight years, considers the landmark decisions of the Obama and Trump eras, and reexamines the precarious fates of such precedents as Roe v. Wade.

A superb overview packed with telling details, this volume offers a matchless introduction to one of the pillars of American government.


Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 06/26/2020
ISBN: 9780190079819
Pages: 160
Weight: 0.30lbs
Size: 6.70h x 4.20w x 0.40d
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SKU: 88951657882

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InHisHand
Pawtucket, US
★★★★★ 5
Pastoral Use of Beale's and Carson's Commentary
Format: Hardcover
This book was properly NOT entitled "Commentary on the New Testament Exegesis of the Old Testament." It is a well studied and scholarly look at how the New Testament writers made USE of the Old Testament Scriptures. And they did make use of those Scriptures is varied and instructive ways. Beale and Carson have compiled and edited articles from numerous trustworthy believing scholars which explain where, how, and why specific passages of Old Testament texts were employed by NT authors. These articles are careful to cite OT and NT contexts, predominant Middle Eastern scholastic thought prior to the 1st Century, and provide an analysis of what style was likely being used by the NT author (for example: typology, compare / contrast, poetic / emotive, prophetic fulfillment, simile, and at times even exegetical / interpretive). Such varied approaches by the NT authors to acquiring and working with OT passages begs the question of whether we ought to handle the OT in the same manner as did they. This commentary fairly well states that the answer is, "Yes...but." Yes, if we were to be as careful as they in understanding that we are not always merely quoting and interpreting the OT nor making absurd allegories of the OT texts but using them as instructive examples, poetic bursts of emotion, and historical typographic illustrations then we should indeed use the OT in the same way. Often the articles and entries in the commentary are long. This is not a dictionary and does not lend itself to quick reference lookups. Such attention to detail and depth enhances the experience of using this volume as it unearths elements and aspects of the Old Testament references that we rarely attempt to see from a 1st Century perspective today. Its overall format is rather straightforward. Identify a NT passage and look it up in the commentary in the passage's traditional Protestant biblical order. Generally only OT passages that are directly quoted, paraphrased, alluded to, or cited by the NT are expanded upon in the commentary. If an OT passage is merely somewhat similar to or has only surface resemblances with an OT passage (giving one the feeling that it is being brought to mind for evocative or emotive reasons alone) then the commentary may not touch on it. In general this is a very useful collection of articles. Its heart is not on being a commentary on the entire New Testament but is focused most narrowly on how the New Testament writers put the Old Testament to work to illustrate Jesus as the Christ, the evils of rebellion and sin, and the complex intricacies of God's epic sweeping salvific plan for humanity.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2012
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Shane
Louisville, US
★★★★★ 4
Good, But Realize Its Limits
Format: Hardcover
I agree with the other reviewers who spoke highly of this resource. It is a fine resource for NT studies. However, realize that it isn't really a commentary like most of us are used to (in my opinion, the title is a little misleading). Rather, it is only a commentary on the NT texts that clearly quote OT texts. The book does not comment on entire NT books, but only some select verses. For example, I used this book studying Mark and it only discussed around 30 phrases from the Gospel of Mark - those verses in Mark that are clear OT citations. I wasn't able to use it in Mark studies as much as I had hoped. I realize this is what the book is supposed to do, and it does it very well. Just remember it won't be useful for NT texts that aren't OT quotes. This isn't a critique, just an observation for those interested. You won't be able to use this resource all the time, but it's helpful for those NT texts where an OT citation is found. FYI, I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because the citations in the articles are not footnotes, but contained in the articles themselves [It looks like this: (eg. R.P. Martin 1974: 97; O'Brien 1982: 151; Hubner 1997a: 91; Gnilka 1980: 168; Barth and Blanke 1994:357, etc.)]. Some citations are very lengthy, which makes it quite cumbersome to read at times. Also, this is subjective I suppose, but I didn't like the font at all (it seemed too tight). All in all, this is a good book for what it does - just realize what it does before you buy it and you won't be disappointed.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2013
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Eric Stampher
Fort Morgan, US
★★★★★ 5
Can't ask for more, but I want more.
Format: Hardcover
Really, this is just a start. Any commentary is. But this is one of the best because it proceeds from a radical premise: the whole Bible is from God, giving His point of view and superceding that of the human author. Not that this is promoted self-consciously or consistently from each contributor. But the structure of the enterprise is such that they are sucked back into presenting how it is that the old testament is so thoroughly imbued in NT writings, including in ways which both OT and NT writers could not have intended. Treading down this path forces us to question all those teachings we've had where we were told: "Matthew (or Paul or John ...) here had in mind xyz." When Matthew wrote his gospel, we might now surmise that we can't be sure what he himself had in mind, because what we wrote was superintended to the degree that Matthew's sinful thoughts were NOT what ended up on parchment. God's thoughts are there, pure and untainted by Matthew's natural limitations and sin. Attempts to work from Matthew's sinful thoughts and culture to God's meaning miss the point that whatever Matthew was in his head was NOT the end product that flowed out his quill. Remember when Caiaphas spoke what he thought naturally about how it is better for one man to die rather than the whole nation take a hit? He meant it for evil, but God superintended it to be ultimate truth, regardless of that speaker's intent. Same with all holy writings. Yes, holy men of old spake as they were moved, but their holiness does not naturally come out in uncontaminated speech -- that takes a special work of God. This commentary allows for that premise. There's something way more than human going on that ties this whole Bible together in one theme from one Writer. Don't get me wrong, not all these contributors seem to subscribe to my radical conclusions above, although I think the editors do. And their prescribed structure for this commentary nudge the contributors into a path that I think leads to a more theocentric authorship. So this is a good start, but nothing beats trying to read the Bible itself from God's point of view, rather than the hallowed and misguided grammatial-historical human focused approach.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2008
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Craig Stephans
Lexington, US
★★★★★ 5
An Excellent Resource for all Students of the Bible
Format: Hardcover
This is an incredible resource that looks at New Testament passages in their relation to the Old Testament. The authors go well beyond mere cross referencing and provide in-depth exegetical commentary on the New Testament and the Old Testament contexts. The writers adeptly address specific and general references by the New Testament to the Old Testament. The authors of the chapters of the book are seasoned Biblical writers that incorporate the best from existing commentaries on their subjects in addition to offering their own profound insights. This is a rich resources that is simple, cogent, well written and easy to read. Each chapter has extensive bibliographies indicating the thoroughness of the research. This is a resource book to definitely add to your library for personal devotional use, a writing resource or a preaching resource. I am very pleased with it so far. Craig Stephans, author of
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Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2007
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Amazon Customer
Charlottesville, US
★★★★★ 5
Book
Format: Hardcover
Great reading
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Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2026

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