Working within the framework of law and politics, JUDICIAL PROCESS focuses on the dynamics of the courthouse as it provides readers with a working knowledge of the major structures and process that underlie the American judiciary. The structure of the courts, the nature of how the laws apply, and the procedures followed all have important consequences for the way the courts deliver justice. This book attempts to help the reader understand not only the legal rules, but also the assumptions underlying these rules, the history of how they evolved, and the goals they seek to achieve.

1. Law, Courts, and Politics.

Part I. INSTITUTIONS OF LAW.

2. Law and Legal Systems.
3. Federal Courts.
4. State Courts.

Part II. INTERPRETERS OF LAW.

5. Lawyers and Legal Representation.
6. Judges.

Part III. CONSUMERS OF LAW.

7. Mobilizing the Law. Litigants, Interest Groups, Court Cases, and the Media.

Part IV. TRIAL COURTS.

8. Trial Courts. The Preliminary Stages of Criminal Cases.
9. Trial Courts. Bargaining and Sentencing in Criminal Courts.
10. Trial Courts. The Preliminary Stages of Civil Cases.
11. Trial Courts. Dispositions of Civil Cases.
12. Trial.

Part V. APPELLATE REVIEW.

13. The Appellate Process.
14. The Supreme Court. Deciding What to Decide.
15. The Supreme Court. The Justices and Their Decisions