Establishing Justice in Middle America

Establishing Justice in Middle America

A History of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit

Jeffrey Brandon Morris
Foreword by William H. Webster

Table of Contents

$39.95 cloth/jacket
ISBN: 0-8166-4816-6
ISBN-13: 978-0-8166-4816-0

An absorbing history of a court that helped to build a nation.

Headquartered in St. Louis and serving primarily Midwestern states, the Eighth Circuit Court has ruled on cases that touch some of the most significant issues in American history, including Native American rights, school segregation, farm bankruptcies, abortion, the environment, pornography, the “war on drugs,” and the first successful class-action sexual-harassment lawsuit.

In Establishing Justice in Middle America, Jeffrey Brandon Morris covers its history, from its founding in 1866 through the present day. Morris also provides a panoramic view, discussing how the court has changed over time, the judges who have served on the court, and all of the court’s major cases. This work is one of the first histories of a court in the mostly regional tier of federal courts that are, judicially speaking, nearest to the Supreme Court.

Establishing Justice in Middle America reveals how, in many ways, the history of a regional court is a history of the nation itself.

“This volume is a natural acquisition for any college, university or law library, where it may find its highest and best use simply by sparking that curiosity which leads to further reading and learning. It could prove a rich source for launching a flood of seminar papers, reports and theses.” —Law & Politics Book Review

“Establishing Justice in Middle America is a successful exposition of the work of a busy and capable court intent on bringing legal finality to much of the litigation in the region. Like all of their midwestern brethren, Iowa readers can take pride and pleasure in learning from this thoughtful and perceptive analysis of one of their government’s most important but least understood entities.” —The Annals of Iowa

“The author of an institutional history faces a particular challenge to those who write in the genre: making such a history relevant and intriguing to a wider audience. Those familiar with the court will find the book of immediate interest. . . . This book is recommended reading not only for those 'insiders' who are familiar with the Eighth Circuit, but for all who are interested in the history and development of the United States court system.” —Law and History Review

Jeffrey Brandon Morris is professor of law at Touro Law Center in Long Island, New York. He is the author or editor of sixteen books, including histories of four federal courts, and is editor of the Encyclopedia of American History.

Published for the Historical Society of the United States Courts in the Eighth Circuit.

416 pages | 16 halftones | 6 1⁄8 x 9 1⁄4 | 2007

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword by William H. Webster
Preface
Acknowledgments of the Court of Appeals Branch of the Historical Society of the United States Courts in the Eighth Circuit
Introduction: Middle America during the Nineteenth Century

1. "An Empire in Itself”: The Eighth Circuit before 1891
2. The Early Years, 1891–1929
3. The Sanborn Court, 1919–1959
4. The Era of the Warren Court, 1956–1969
5. The Moderately Liberal Court of the 1970s
6. “Debate, Differences, and a Robust Exchange of Ideas”: The Eighth Circuit during the 1980s
7. Leaving the Old Century and Entering the New

Afterword
Notes
Index



Establishing Justice in Middle America *A History of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit* Jeffrey Brandon Morris Foreword by William H. Webster Table of Contents		$39.95 cloth/jacket ISBN: 0-8166-4816-6 ISBN-13: 978-0-8166-4816-0
An absorbing history of a court that helped to build a nation. Headquartered in St. Louis and serving primarily Midwestern states, the Eighth Circuit Court has ruled on cases that touch some of the most significant issues in American history, including Native American rights, school segregation, farm bankruptcies, abortion, the environment, pornography, the “war on drugs,” and the first successful class-action sexual-harassment lawsuit. In Establishing Justice in Middle America, Jeffrey Brandon Morris covers its history, from its founding in 1866 through the present day. Morris also provides a panoramic view, discussing how the court has changed over time, the judges who have served on the court, and all of the court’s major cases. This work is one of the first histories of a court in the mostly regional tier of federal courts that are, judicially speaking, nearest to the Supreme Court. Establishing Justice in Middle America reveals how, in many ways, the history of a regional court is a history of the nation itself. “This volume is a natural acquisition for any college, university or law library, where it may find its highest and best use simply by sparking that curiosity which leads to further reading and learning. It could prove a rich source for launching a flood of seminar papers, reports and theses.” —Law & Politics Book Review “Establishing Justice in Middle America is a successful exposition of the work of a busy and capable court intent on bringing legal finality to much of the litigation in the region. Like all of their midwestern brethren, Iowa readers can take pride and pleasure in learning from this thoughtful and perceptive analysis of one of their government’s most important but least understood entities.” —The Annals of Iowa “The author of an institutional history faces a particular challenge to those who write in the genre: making such a history relevant and intriguing to a wider audience. Those familiar with the court will find the book of immediate interest. . . . This book is recommended reading not only for those 'insiders' who are familiar with the Eighth Circuit, but for all who are interested in the history and development of the United States court system.” —Law and History Review Jeffrey Brandon Morris is professor of law at Touro Law Center in Long Island, New York. He is the author or editor of sixteen books, including histories of four federal courts, and is editor of the Encyclopedia of American History. Published for the Historical Society of the United States Courts in the Eighth Circuit. 416 pages \| 16 halftones \| 6 1⁄8 x 9 1⁄4 \| 2007 TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword by William H. Webster Preface Acknowledgments of the Court of Appeals Branch of the Historical Society of the United States Courts in the Eighth Circuit Introduction: Middle America during the Nineteenth Century 1. "An Empire in Itself”: The Eighth Circuit before 1891 2. The Early Years, 1891–1929 3. The Sanborn Court, 1919–1959 4. The Era of the Warren Court, 1956–1969 5. The Moderately Liberal Court of the 1970s 6. “Debate, Differences, and a Robust Exchange of Ideas”: The Eighth Circuit during the 1980s 7. Leaving the Old Century and Entering the New Afterword Notes Index