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Dissent on the California Supreme Court, 1850-1920

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 January 2016

Kermit L. Hall
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Extract

This essay probes two matters. First, it establishes the extent and pattern of partisan-based dissent on the California Supreme Court during the so-called “party period” of American history, the years from roughly 1840 to 1920 (McCormick, 1979). It concludes that the concept of judicial independence retained great vitality despite a strongly partisan scheme of accountability. Second, it suggests that constitutional arrangements and environmental conditions were important in conditioningjudicial behavior. While these findings are preliminary, they nonetheless constitute an important first step toward unraveling the character of California’s and the nation’s judicial cultures during this extraordinary period of party development (Hall, 1984).

Type
Research Article
Information
Social Science History , Volume 11 , Issue 1 , Summer 1987 , pp. 63 - 83
Copyright
Copyright © Social Science History Association 1987 

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