James W. Ely, Jr.

The safeguarding of economic rights during Fuller's tenure

6 x 9, 248 pages
10 halftones
cloth, ISBN 1-5-7003-018-9, $39.95t

Chief Justices of the Supreme Court,
Herbert A. Johnson, series editor

ABOUT THE BOOK

In the first book in a generation to offer a fresh interpretation of the Supreme Court during the pivotal tenure of Melville W. Fuller, James Ely provides a judicial biography of the man who led the court from 1888 until 1910 as well as a comprehensive and thoughtful analysis of the jurisprudence dispensed under his leadership. Highlighting Fuller's skills as a judicial administrator, Ely argues that a commitment to economic liberty, security of private property, limited government, and states' rights guided Fuller and his colleagues in their treatment of constitutional issues.

Ely directly challenges the conventional idea that the Fuller Court adopted laissez-faire principles in order to serve the needs of business. Rather, Ely presents the Supreme Court's efforts to safeguard economic rights not as a single-minded devotion to corporate interests but as a fulfillment of the property-conscious values that shaped the constitution-making process in 1787.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James W. Ely, Jr. is professor of law and history at Vanderbilt University. His previous books include The Guardian of Every Other Right: A Constitutional History of Property Rights.