The primary goal of this study is to assess the policymaking role which state supreme courts play in state political systems. Cases involving judicial review of state laws decided in the supreme courts of all fifty states are examined. Levels of judicial review opportunity and activism are compared across state supreme courts. State-level factors associated with judicial review opportunity and activism are analyzed. / Docket control is associated with higher levels of judicial review opportunity. Constitutional complexity and docket control are associated with higher levels of judicial review activism. / The types of statutes challenged and declared unconstitutional most often are examined in order to determine the areas of law which are most controversial and unsettled, and the areas in which state supreme courts are most willing to engage in judicial review activism. The impact of constitutional cues on judicial review activism is also analyzed. / Criminal laws are challenged most often, but overturned least often. Civil liberties and inter-governmental result in higher rates of invalidation. Cases decided on the basis of state constitutional grounds result in laws being declared unconstitutional more often than those based on other grounds. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-05, Section: A, page: 1421. / Major Professor: Henry R. Glick. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1989.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_77999 |
| Contributors | Emmert, Craig Foster., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 244 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
Page generated in 0.0019 seconds