It’s a given that judges should be above merely political concerns. The more realistic view, however, is that the judicial decision-making of both legal realists and originalists is entirely political. In this radical discussion of the relationship between judges and political power, Collins, Harold S. Shefelman Scholar at the University of Washington School of Law, takes Machiavelli as his model, rewriting The Prince for judges. In twenty-six lessons, many drawing on real cases, Collins identifies ways that judges can be more effective in using the judiciary to further their political goals.
Collins will be in conversation with Adam Liptak, Supreme Court correspondent for The New York Times.