The Federal Courts : Challenge and Reform, Revised Edition.

Intro -- Contents -- Preface -- I The Institution -- 1 The Organization of the Federal Courts -- The basic structure -- The judges -- The state courts compared -- 2 The Jurisdiction of the Federal Courts -- II The Challenge -- 3 The Growth of the Caseload -- Caseload … -- Versus Workload -- Caseload and workload in the Supreme Court -- The Chicken Little question -- 4 Why the Caseload Has Grown So -- Models of caseload growth -- The district courts -- The courts of appeals -- The Supreme Court -- 5 Consequences: The System Expands … -- More judges, working harder -- The rise of the law clerk -- 6 … And Is Streamlined -- Curtailment of oral argument -- Nonpublication of opinions -- The standard of review, the trend toward "ruledness", summariness -- Sanctions -- III Incremental Reform -- 7 Palliatives -- Upping the ante -- Limiting or abolishing diversity jurisdiction -- Better management -- Alternative dispute resolution -- The reform of the bar -- 8 Specialized Courts -- Specialized Article III courts -- Rethinking administrative review -- IV Fundamental Reform -- 9 The Role of Federal Courts in a Federal System -- The optimal scope of federal jurisdiction -- Specific caseload implications -- 10 Federal Judicial Self-Restraint -- Principled adjudication -- The meaning and consequences of judicial activism and self-restraint -- The restraint ratchet and other extensions -- 11 The Federal Judicial Craft -- District judges -- The institutional responsibilities of federal appellate judges -- Rule versus standard again -- Stare decisis -- Appendix: Supplementary -- Index.

Drawing on economic and political theory, legal analysis, and his own extensive judicial experience, Posner sketches the history of the federal courts, describes the contemporary institution, appraises concerns that have been expressed with their performance, and presents a variety of proposals for both short-term and fundamental reform.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.