This article examines the conservative activism of the Supreme Court under Chief Justice Rehnquist. Suggestions are made on how advocates, including social workers and their professional organizations, can advance the cause of social justice for women, given the current parameters of the Supreme Court. Strategies include shifting attention to other arenas, including federal and state legislatures and state courts; diluting the effects of the Court by delegitimating its decisions; and influencing the future composition of the Court.
References
1.
Baker v. Carr, 369 U.S. 186 (1962).
2.
Baker v. State of Vermont, 744 Ad. 2d. 864 (1999, S.Ct. Vt.).
3.
Bork, R. (1988). The tempting of America: The political seduction of the law. New York: Free Press .
4.
Bradwell v. Illinois, 83 U.S. (16 Wall) 442 (1873).
5.
Braun, S. (1999, March 31). State health laws create arena for abortion battle. Los Angeles Times, p. 5.
6.
Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954).
7.
Bush v. Gore, 531 U.S. 98 (2000).
8.
Caldeira, G. A., & Wright, J. R. (1988). Organized interests and agenda setting in the U.S. Supreme Court . American Political Science Review, 82, 1109-1127 .
9.
City of Boernes v. Flores, 521 U.S. 549 (1997).
10.
Civil Rights Act of 1964, Pub. L. No. 88-352, 78 Stat. 241.
11.
Comisky, M. (1999). Not guilty: The news media in the Supreme Court confirmation process . Journal of Law and Politics, 15, 1-36 .
12.
Cooper v. Aaron, 368 U.S. 1 (1958).
13.
Dorf, M. (2002, May 1). American's faith in the Supreme Court and in the Constitution: A new survey shows Bush v. Gore's effect was limited. Writ. Retrieved from http://writ.findlaw.com
14.
Gerhardt, M. (2002). Supreme Court selection as war . Drake Law Review, 50, 393-410 .
15.
Glaberson, W. (2001, February 1). Court battle for presidency rages on in legal circles. New York Times, p. A14.
16.
Gottlieb, S. (2000). Morality imposed: The Rehnquist Court and liberty in America. New York: New York University Press .
17.
Griffin, S. M. (2000). Has the hour of democracy come round at last? The new critique of judicial review . Constitutional Commentary, 17, 683-701 .
18.
Kincaid, J. (1995). The new federalism context of the new judicial federalism . Rutgers Law Journal, 26, 913-947 .
19.
Kramer, L. (2000). Putting the politics into the political safeguards of federalism . Columbia Law Review, 100, 215-293 .
20.
Lens, V. (2001). The Supreme Court, federalism, and social policy: The new judicial activism . Social Service Review, 75, 318-336 .
21.
Levy, R. (2000). Federalism: The next generation . Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review, 33, 1629-1664 .
22.
Lewis, N. (2001, March 23). White House ends Bar Association's role in screening federal judges. New York Times, p. A13.
23.
McDonnell, B. (1997). Dynamic statutory interpretations and sluggish social movements . California Law Review, 85, 919-954 .
24.
Mikva, A., & Bleich, J. (1991). Civil rights legislation in the 1990s: When Congress overrules the Court . California Law Review, 79, 729-750 .
Orlando, K. (2000). New York permits gender violence victims to sue. NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund. Retrieved from www.womensenews.org
27.
Planned Parenthood v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833 (1992).
28.
Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 (1896).
29.
Reisch, M. (2000). Social workers and politics in the new century . Social Work, 45, 293-297 .
30.
Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 959 (1973).
31.
Romero, F. (2000). The Supreme Court and the protection of minority rights . Law and Society Review, 34, 291-313 .
32.
Rosen, J. (2001, April 9-16). Federal offense: The Court's assault on anti-discrimination. New Republic, 24-26.
33.
Rosenberg, G. (1991). The hollow hope: Can the courts bring about social change? Chicago: University of Chicago Press .
34.
Schwartz, H. (2001). The Supreme Court's federalism: Fig leaf for conservatives . Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 547, 119-139 .
35.
Segal, J. A., & Spaeth, H. J. (1993). The Supreme Court and the attitudinal model. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press .
36.
Smith, C. (1991). The Supreme Court in transition: Assessing the legitimacy of the leading legal institution . Kentucky Law Journal, 79, 317-346 .
37.
United States v. Lopez, 514 U.S. 549 (1995).
38.
United States v. Morrison, 120 S.Ct. 1740 (2000).
39.
United States v. Nixon, 418 U.S. 683 (1974).
40.
U.S. Senate. (1993). The Violence Against Women Act of 1993: Committee on the Judiciary Conference Report (Senate Report No. 103-138). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
41.
Violence Against Women Act of 1994, Pub. L. No. 106-556, 108 Stat. 1941.
42.
Webster v. Reproductive Health, 492 U.S. 490 (1989).
43.
Yalof, D. (1999). Pursuit of justices: Presidential politics and the selection of Supreme Court nominees. Chicago: University of Chicago Press .
44.
Yoo, J. C. (2000). Choosing justices: A political appointments process and the wages of judicial supremacy . Michigan Law Review, 98, 1436-1467 .
