| The View of the Courts from the Hill explores the currentinteractions and relationship between the U.S. Congress and federal courts using a",governanceas dialogue", approach, which argues that constitutional interpretation in the United States isa continuous and complex conversation among all the institutions of government. Expanding on hisprevious work on this important theme, Mark C. Miller has interviewed numerous key playersspecifically for this book. His subjects include members of Congress, federal judges, congressionalstaff, employees of the judicial branch, lobbyists, and others with an interest in the courts. Theircandid and thorough comments provide an invaluable resource for students and scholars eager toexplore the dynamics between congressional and judicial forces as they have evolved over the pasttwo decades.The book examines customary interactions between Congress and the federalcourts-especially the U.S. Supreme Court-as well as extraordinary conflicts between thetwo branches of government both today and throughout American history. Miller gives specialattention to recent attempts by social conservatives in Congress to silence the voice of the courtsin the inter-institutional dialogue through the use of court-stripping measures, threats ofimpeachment of federal judges, and a proposal for an inspector general for the courts. Particularfocus is placed on the interactions between the courts and the House Judiciary Committee underRepublican control, as well as the approach taken by the Religious Right toward federal judges andthe federal courts in general. The book concludes with a call for the protection of judicialindependence in order to preserve the voice of the federal courts in the constitutionalinterpretation dialogue. |
