The Supreme Court and Elections: Into the Political Thicket

This reference for students contains essays and primary documents chronicling how the Supreme Court and the federal courts have dealt with election disputes in American history. Although the evolution of legal doctrine is addressed, the emphasis is on practical problems associated with trying to make participatory democracy work and the federal courts' role in shaping this process. A detailed 80-page introduction gives background on the issues. Primary documents, including excerpts from the Constitution, legislation, federal statutes, Supreme Court cases, and court briefs, are presented in chapters on foundations of the electoral process, enforcing the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the adoption of majority-minority districting, political parties and campaign finance reform, and electoral administration. Chapter and document introductions are included. Zelden is professor of history at Nova Southeastern University. Annotation c2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)