The Supreme Court under
Earl Warren, 1953–1969
Michal R. Belknap
In The Supreme Court under Earl Warren, 1953–1969, Michal Belknap recounts the
eventful history of the Warren Court. Chief Justice Earl Warren’s sixteen years on the
bench were among the most dramatic, productive, and controversial in the history of
the Supreme Court. Warren’s tenure saw the Court render decisions that are still hotly
debated today. Its rulings addressed such issues as school desegregation, separation of
church and state, and freedom of expression.
In 1954 Warren and his colleagues struck down school segregation as unconstitutional. They then participated in a broad campaign to win equal rights for African
Americans. While it cautiously dismantled McCarthy-era infringements on civil liberties, the Warren Court boldly expanded freedom of expression in other areas. Frankly
using constitutional law as a tool to promote political and social reform, the Warren
Court revolutionized criminal procedure and mandated an end to the malapportionment
of state legislatures and other representative institutions. It both invented and constitutionally guaranteed individuals’ rights to privacy with respect to sexual matters. Its rulings did much to advance the agenda of the liberal reformers who dominated American
politics during the 1960s. But these rulings also angered many Americans, who
accused the Warren Court of running God out of the public schools, handcuffing the
police, and flooding the country with smut.
Although it staggered to an end in 1969 amid controversy and scandal, the Warren
Court revolutionized constitutional law. No other Court has had greater impact on
American culture and mores than that of Earl Warren.
Drawing on internal memoranda as well as published opinions of the justices,
Belknap reveals the philosophical debates and personality conflicts behind the Court’s
decisions. He also assesses the overall accomplishments and failures of the Warren
Court and places them in both their political and social contexts.
Chief Justiceships of the Supreme Court • Herbert Johnson, series editor
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Michal R. Belknap teaches constitutional
law, criminal law, and American legal history
at California Western School of Law in San
Diego. Belknap is the author or editor of
seven books including Cold War Political
Justice: The Smith Act, the Communist
Party, and American Civil Liberties; Federal
Law and Southern Order: Racial Violence
and Constitutional Conflict in the PostBrown South; American Political Trials; and
The Vietnam War on Trial: The My Lai
Massacre and the Court-Martial of
Lieutenant Calley.
THE SUPREME COURT UNDER
EARL WARREN, 1953–1969
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