1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910647800303321

Autore

Coulson Doug <1969->

Titolo

Judicial rhapsodies : rhetoric and fundamental rights in the Supreme Court / / Doug Coulson

Pubbl/distr/stampa

[Amherst, MA] : , : Amherst College Press, , 2023

©2023

ISBN

9781943208470

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (viii, 276 pages)

Soggetti

Judicial process - United States

Judicial opinions - United States

Rhetoric - Political aspects - United States

Law - United States - Methodology

Civil rights - United States

Electronic books.

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (pages 239 -256) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Introduction : Rhapsodic Jurisprudence -- 1. Judicial and Epideictic Rhetoric : A False Division -- 2. Freedom of Speech, Paramologia, and the Flag -- 3. Keeping Government Out of Religion and Vice Versa -- 4. Storms, Shadows, and Privacy -- Conclusion : Truth Has No Bones

Sommario/riassunto

All judges legitimize their decisions in writing, but US Supreme Court justices depend on public acceptance to a unique degree. Previous studies of judicial opinions have explored rhetorical strategies that produce legitimacy, but none have examined the laudatory, even operatic, forms of writing Supreme Court justices have used to justify fundamental rights decisions. Doug Coulson demonstrates that such "judicial rhapsodies" are not an aberration but a central feature of judicial discourse. First examining the classical origins of divisions between law and rhetoric, Coulson tracks what he calls an epideictic register--highly affective forms of expression that utilize hyperbole, amplification, and vocabularies of praise--through a surprising number of landmark Supreme Court opinions. Judicial Rhapsodies recovers and revalues these instances as significant to establishing and maintaining



shared perspectives that form the basis for common experience and cooperation.