Courts and Policy in the U.S.

In the United States, the role of the judiciary in and its impact on public policy enjoy a great deal of theoretical and practical debate among scholars of the law, political science, and public policy. This entry provides a discussion of how courts in the United States decide and implement judicial mandates and their broader public policy implications. As part of this discussion, we also consider the interplay of courts and the political branches. In particular, this entry reviews perspectives on the role and power of courts in the policy-making process.