The Supreme Court and the governing regime in political time.

摘要

Party leaders can use the Supreme Court to further their political and policy goals. By locating the governing regime's strength and the Court's alignment with the regime, we can better understand how the Court operates at any given moment. In Stage 1 of the realignment cycle, the Court can be used to help consolidate the coalition. In Stage 2, the Court helps implement the party's platform. In Stage 3, the Court tries to maintain the integrity of the coalition. This dissertation looks at the Supreme Court of the antebellum and postbellum periods, demonstrating that placing the Court in "political time" is a useful way to understand the institution.