The U.S. Supreme Court and New Federalism: From the Rehnquist to the Roberts Court

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Constitutional scholars Christopher P. Banks and John C. Blakeman offer the most current and the first book-length study of the U.S. Supreme Courts new federalism begun by the Rehnquist Court and now flourishing under Chief Justice John Roberts. Using descriptive and empirical methods in political science and legal scholarship, and informed by diverse approaches to judicial ideology, from historical to new institutionalist, they investigate how the U.S. Supreme Court rulings have shaped the political principle of federalism. While the Rehnquist Court reinvorgorated new federalism by protecting state sovereignty and set new constitutional limits on federal power, Banks and Blakeman show that in the Roberts Court new federalism continues to evolve in a docket increasingly attentive to statutory construction, preemption, and business litigation. In addition, they analyze areas of federalism not normally studied by scholars such as religious liberty and foreign affairs.

Reviews

At a time when some of the most prominent cases on the Supreme Court's docket deal with determining the extent and limits of state and federal authority, whether regarding health care, immigration, or environmental protection, Christopher P. Banks and John C. Blakeman undertake a welcome analysis of the Court's evolving federalism jurisprudence and with particular attention to the Roberts Court. -- John Dinan, Wake Forest University
Federalism usually only occupies the attention of a handful of constitutional law specialists. However, during the Rehnquist years, and continuing into the Roberts Court, it has been a central feature of Supreme Court jurisprudence. This book is a thorough, careful, and balanced analysis, blending together both legal analysis and political science, of how the Court has handled federalism in those years. It deserves a wide audience. -- Jerry Waltman, Baylor University
The U.S. Supreme Court and New Federalism is a comprehensive yet focused examination of federalism in the U.S. Supreme Court. Banks and Blakeman deftly show how the Court's federalism decisions over time have shaped and been shaped by politics. They persuasively argue that while the Roberts Court has remained committed to many of the federalism values of its predecessor the Rehnquist Court, the new composition of the Court and the political environment within which it operates is likely to push the Court in new directions in its federalism jurisprudence. Scholars and others interested in the Supreme Court or constitutional federalism will find this book indispensable. -- J. Mitchell Pickerill, Northern Illinois University
In The U.S. Supreme Court and New Federalism, Christopher Banks and John Blakeman examine the relationship between the political construction of 'New Federalism' and the U.S. Supreme Courts federalism jurisprudence. The analysis in the book is both comprehensive and focused: it is comprehensive in the sense that it considers the development of federalism from a broader historical perspective, but it also focuses on key developments in the Supreme Court since the mid-1990s under Chief Justices William Rehnquist and John Roberts. Scholars interested in federalism, the Supreme Court, and constitutional law will find this book a valuable resource on the modern Courts role in debates over the boundaries between federal and state power. . . .I highly recommend the book for anyone interested in the Supreme Court and federalism, especially in era of the Rehnquist and Roberts Court. * Publius: The Journal of Federalism *
Christopher Banks and John Blakeman's ambitious book canvasses and synthesizes considerable scholarship surrounding the history of federalism, as well as specific material on the Rehnquist and Roberts Courts... This book contains considerable information and serves as a welcome addition to federalism scholarship. * Perspectives on Politics *

Author Bio

Christopher P. Banks is associate professor of political science at Kent State University John C. Blakeman is associate professor and chair of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point