The Supreme Court and Religion in American Life: Volume I; The Odyssey of the Religion Clauses Hardcover - 2004

First line

THIS VOLUME justifies itself on the grounds that, surprising in view of all the attention lavished on the subject, there are a number of significant religion cases that came before the Supreme Court prior to World War II that have been ignored or whose significance has been slighted.

From the rear cover

"This book and its companion volume provide a concise, but complete account of all the relevant cases since 1789 with sophisticated scholarly analysis. It is by far the best introduction I have seen to all that the Supreme Court has ever said about church and state. Hitchcock presents difficult and controversial material in a fair-minded manner, and the treatment of cases is remarkably free of polemic. A valuable and unique contribution to the field."--Gerard V. Bradley, University of Notre Dame

"Hitchcock covers a tremendous amount of American legal history and does so with remarkable clarity and brevity. His arguments are nuanced and always thought-provoking. The book compels a rethinking of prevailing legal doctrines and thus has the potential to have a significant impact on the continuing debate on the constitutional relationships between religion and American life."--Daniel Dreisbach, American University

Media reviews

Citations

• Choice, 02/01/2005, Page 1098