MARC Record from Library of Congress

LEADER: 03448cam a2200373 i 4500
001 2013040784
003 DLC
005 20150116090258.0
008 131218s2014 nyua b 001 0 eng
010 $a 2013040784
020 $a9780809074235 (hardback)
020 $z9780374712082 (ebook)
040 $aDLC$beng$erda$cDLC$dDLC
042 $apcc
084 $aPOL007000$2bisacsh
043 $an-us---
050 00 $aKF4905$b.S65 2014
082 00 $a342.73/072$223
100 1 $aSmith, J. Douglas,$d1965-$eauthor.
245 10 $aOn democracy's doorstep :$bthe inside story of how the Supreme Court brought "one person, one vote" to the United States /$cJ. Douglas Smith.
250 $aFirst edition.
264 1 $aNew York :$bHill and Wang,$c2014.
300 $a370 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates :$billustrations ;$c24 cm
336 $atext$btxt$2rdacontent
337 $aunmediated$bn$2rdamedia
338 $avolume$bnc$2rdacarrier
504 $aIncludes bibliographical references and index.
505 0 $aRotten Boroughs -- California, 1948 -- The Shame of the States -- It Has Lots to Do with the Price of Eggs : The Making of Baker v. Carr -- Into the Political Thicket -- One Person, One Vote -- The Making of Reynolds v. Sims -- Converging on Washington, D.C. -- Amicus Curiae -- November 1963 -- Legislators Represent People, Not Trees or Acres -- The Little Filibuster -- Scared Stiff -- Let the People Decide -- Epilogue.
520 $a"The inside story of the Supreme Court decisions that brought true democracy to the United States Today, Earl Warren is recalled as the chief justice of a Supreme Court that introduced school desegregation and other dramatic changes to American society. In retirement, however, Warren argued that his court's greatest accomplishment was establishing the principle of "one person, one vote" in state legislative and congressional redistricting. Malapportionment, Warren recognized, subverted the will of the majority, privileging rural voters, and often business interests and whites, over others. In declaring nearly all state legislatures unconstitutional, the court oversaw a revolution that transformed the exercise of political power in the United States. On Democracy's Doorstep tells the story of this crucial--and neglected--episode. J. Douglas Smith follows lawyers, activists, and Justice Department officials as they approach the court. We see Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy pushing for radical change and idealistic lawyers in Alabama bravely defying their peers. We then watch as the justices edge toward their momentous decision. The Washington Post called the result a step "toward establishing democracy in the United States." But not everyone agreed; Smith shows that business lobbies and their political allies attempted to overturn the court by calling the first Constitutional Convention since the 1780s. Thirty-three states ratified their petition--just one short of the two-thirds required"--$cProvided by publisher.
520 $a"The inside story of the Supreme Court decisions that brought true democracy to the United States"--$cProvided by publisher.
650 0 $aApportionment (Election law)$zUnited States$xCases.
610 10 $aUnited States.$bSupreme Court.
650 7 $aPOLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Ideologies / Democracy.$2bisacsh
856 42 $3Cover image$uhttp://www.netread.com/jcusers2/bk1388/235/9780809074235/image/lgcover.9780809074235.jpg