Congress and the Politics of Emerging Rights

Book excerpt: Campbell and Stack (both in political science, Florida International U.) present seven contributions that explore the evolution of political right in American society, as played out in the legislation of Congress, the rulings of the federal judiciary, and the frequent tension between the two. Authors examine the Supreme Court's recent limiting of the power of the Commerce Clause of the Constitution for social reform, the unanticipated sexual harassment consequences of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the "judicially created" right to privacy, the ability of gay rights organizations to bargain with Congress over anti-discrimination legislation, the recent redefinition of state's rights by the Rehnquist majority of the Supreme Court, the role of lawyers in defending the interests or "rights" of Congress in the courts, and a comparative analysis of the differing perspectives of rights between the United States and the rest of the world. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.