Cambridge University Press The President and the Supreme Court: Going Public on Judicial Decisions from Washington to Trump

When presidents take positions on pending Supreme Court cases or criticize the Court's decisions, they are susceptible to being attacked for acting as bullies and violating the norm of judicial independence. Why then do presidents target Supreme Court decisions in their public appeals? In this book, Paul M. Collins, Jr and Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha argue that presidents discuss the Court's decisions to demonstrate their responsiveness to important matters of public policy and to steer the implementation of the Court's decisions. Using data from Washington to Trump, they show that, far from being bullies, presidents discuss cases to promote their re-election, policy goals, and historical legacies, while attempting to affect the impact of Court decisions on the bureaucracy, Congress, the media, and the public. Review 'Given the background that both authors bring to this project, it is not a surprise that the book succeeds in providing an excellent analysis of an ambitious topic …' Lisa M. Holme, Congress & the Presidency, Volume 48, Issue 2'Collins and Eshbaugh-Soha have contributed greatly to the work on executive-judicial relations by documenting and compiling a database of presidential public comments.' Katherine Vigilante, Perspectives on Politics'Collins and Eshbaugh-Soha's book is well written and would be an excellent addition to any undergraduate or graduate course on American political institutions. It is straight-forward, easy to follow, and rich with examples that provide helpful context.' Elizabeth Lane, Law and Politics Book Review Book Description Examines the relationship between the president and the Supreme Court, including how presidents view the norm of judicial independence. About the Author Paul M. Collins, Jr is Professor of Political Science and Legal Studies and the Director of Legal Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He has published extensively on the US Supreme Court in a variety of journals and is also the author of two award-winning books: Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings and Constitutional Change (Cambridge, 2013), co-authored with Lori A. Ringhand, and Friends of the Supreme Court: Interest Groups and Judicial Decision Making (2008).Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha is Department Chair and Professor of Political Science at the University of North Texas. His research focuses on American political institutions, specifically the presidency and mass media, and public policy. He is the author of nearly three dozen scholarly articles and two books: The President's Speeches: Beyond 'Going Public' (2006) and Breaking through the Noise: Presidential Leadership, Public Opinion, and the News Media, co-authored with Jeffrey S. Peake (2011).