Rule of Nine: Selecting and Deciding Cases
Selecting the cases for any given court year begins the summer before the Supreme Court's term begins. Law clerks assigned to each justice reduce the number of petitions that will be placed on the discuss list. If four justices agree to take a case,...
Government by Committee: Securing the Presidential Nomination
The process of nominating candidates for the nation's highest office has also changed through the years bringing it closer to the people. Today the emphasis is on amassing enough delegates in the primaries to wrap up the nomination long before the R...
Global Politics: Changing Attitudes Toward World Affairs
The relationship between the United States and the world community, as important as it has been at times in our history, may not be considered as much of a priority today as it was during World War II and the Cold War. Although opinion is divided, t...
Party Politics: When Third Parties Make a Difference
There have been times in U. S. history when third parties have affected the outcome of an election. If a third party takes disproportionately from one party rather than the other they can be divisive. Ironically, Ross Perot got 19% of the vote in 19...
Party Politics: U.S. and Parliamentary System Elections
Third parties in the United States have been unsuccessful largely because of the single-member-plurality system. Whoever comes in first wins the office. In parliamentary systems, the percentage of votes each party gets equates to the percentage of s...
Most Basic of Rights, The: Freedom of the Press...Has It Gone Too Far?
Freedom of the press was an important element from the early years of this country. For a brief period in the late 18th century the Sedition Act limited the right of the press to criticize the federal government but that was short lived. Since two W...
Leader for a Nation: Public Support for Presidential Policies
As long as the public is behind the president, it is difficult for Congress to ignore his initiatives. The presidential approval rating is a thermometer of the president's capacity to lead public opinion. Just after the election, a president's popul...
Voices of the People: Media-based Politics Replaces the Personal Touch
In the mid-1900s, political parties kept their members active and involved in local pursuits much like unions. As the 20th century progressed it became more economical to engage in national, media-based advertising campaigns. Politics today is more ...
Voices of the People: How Lack of Participation Affects Public Policy and Government Action
Who votes influences public policy and governmental action. When elected officials hear from some people and not others equal protection of interests is jeopardized. Politicians recognize that they will never attract some members of the electorate s...
Candidates and Campaigns: Costs of Campaigning, The
Campaigning is expensive, and the costs keep rising. Only people who have their own money or can put together an alliance of interests can finance a campaign. The constant need to raise campaign funds corrodes the process, says Tom Patterson. "You c...