Abstract
In 1964, the Supreme Court declined to hear a case presented by Muslim prisoners that alleged deprivations of their religious rights. Fifty years later, the Court issued a unanimous decision permitting a Muslim prisoner to grow a beard for religious reasons, despite objections by prison officials. These contrasting cases show significant change in law governing prisoners’ rights. This book illuminates the Supreme Court’s decision making through the example of prisoners’ rights cases. This chapter describes influences affecting the Court’s development of law, including each individual justice’s values and judicial philosophy, the changing nature of social problems, and strategic interactions within the Court. The chapter also provides an outline of the book through brief descriptions of each chapter.
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Smith, C.E. (2016). Shaping Constitutional Law: The Example of Prisoners’ Rights. In: The Supreme Court and the Development of Law. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56763-5_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56763-5_1
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