Volume 1, Chapter 6-13 Summary and Analysis

In the United States, judicial power has the same scope and limitations as elsewhere in the civilized world. This means that courts can only make a decision on special cases and when it is called upon to challenge a specific right. Like any government official, judges are accountable to the laws they are representing. The American judicial system also holds an unusual political power based on the Constitution. A court is allowed to change the Constitution upon which all the rights are founded. A judge can also refuse to apply a law if he the law is deemed unconstitutional. This system of judicial review, allowing the legislature to keep power of the judicial system in check and vice versa, is a safeguard against tyranny. Generally, American justice is made more efficacious by being applied mildly but evenly...