Book Review by Judith S. Kaye
In the abstract, it is hard to imagine a “book idea”' that would have less widespread popular interest than a serious work about state appellate courts. No tales of human degradation, no gossip, no suspenseful episodes of courtroom drama—the book would simply offer the staid, nonbitter reflections of an articulate former California judge about the choosing of judges; the decision of cases; the initiative process; and state constitutional, criminal, and common law. If you were to add to this “book idea”' that much of the material would be similar to that of a law school curriculum and already familiar to students of the law, it is hard to imagine that even lawyers who crave serious reading about state appellate courts would put such a book on their Christmas list.
In the flesh, however, Joseph Grodin's In Pursuit of Justice: Reflections of a State Supreme Court Justice succeeds in its objective of offering a solid education to sophisticated nonlawyers—and lawyers, too—about the ways of state courts particularly, and about the law generally: it does so efficiently, painlessly, and even enjoyably. Since so much of our daily lives is affected by what state courts do, and relatively little is written of them, the book deserves a wide audience.
About the Author
Judith S. Kaye. Associate Judge, Court of Appeals, State of New York. B.A. 1958, Barnard College; J.D. 1962, New York University School of Law.
Citation
64 Tul. L. Rev. 985 (1990)