The United States has more lawyers per capita than any other country: two and
a half times as many as Great Britain, five times as many as Germany, and
twenty-five times as many as Japan. There’s even an entire television network
devoted to covering trials (Court TV) and three versions of NBC’s popular show
Law and Order.
Courts—and lawyers—have played crucial roles throughout American history. In
the twentieth century, for example, court cases such as Brown v. Board of
Education (1954) and Miranda v. Arizona (1966) have
shaped the political landscape and caused tremendous controversy. In today’s
political environment, we hear complaints from some who say that the courts are
overstepping their bounds and undermining democracy, whereas others see the courts
as the last protection against tyranny of the majority. The judicial branch of
government is an integral, albeit complicated, part of American
democracy.
