Open Access Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington
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Lawyers, Landmarks & Constitutional Dialogue: The Due Process Revolution from Mapp to Furman

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posted on 2022-09-12, 20:02 authored by Hayden ThorneHayden Thorne

This thesis explores the ability of legal advocates to influence the decisions of the United States Supreme Court through a close study of four landmark decisions from 1961-1972: Mapp v. Ohio (1961), Gideon v. Wainwright (1963), Miranda v. Arizona (1966), and Furman v. Georgia (1972). It utilises a framework based broadly around the concept of constitutional dialogue to argue that existing scholarship does not pay due attention to the role of attorneys in shaping constitutional interpretation. Set in the context of the 1960s ‘Due Process Revolution’ and the battle over incorporation, ‘Lawyers, Landmarks and Constitutional Dialogue’ studies in depth how these four cases were argued, including counsel for the various parties, notable amicus curiae participation by groups like the American Civil Liberties Union [ACLU] and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund [LDF], drawing on a range of sources including the briefs and oral arguments, archival material and participant interviews. From the single paragraph in the ACLU’s Mapp brief which gave the Court a basis for extending the Fourth Amendment’s protection to the states, to the decade or more of sustained advocacy by the LDF that resulted in the (temporary) abolition of the death penalty in Furman, lawyers could and did influence these landmark Supreme Court decisions in very real ways.

History

Copyright Date

2022-09-13

Date of Award

2022-09-13

Publisher

Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington

Rights License

Author Retains Copyright

Degree Discipline

History

Degree Grantor

Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington

Degree Level

Doctoral

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Outcome code

280113 Expanding knowledge in history, heritage and archaeology

ANZSRC Type Of Activity code

1 Pure basic research

Victoria University of Wellington Item Type

Awarded Doctoral Thesis

Language

en_NZ

Victoria University of Wellington School

School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations

Advisors

Janiewski, Dolores; McAloon, Jim