cover image The Judges: A Major Exploration of America's Court System and the Many Changes It Must Make

The Judges: A Major Exploration of America's Court System and the Many Changes It Must Make

Martin Mayer, . . St. Martin's/Talley, $27.95 (450pp) ISBN 978-0-312-28975-1

Mayer believes our court system is shrouded in an unhealthy secretiveness: "The truth is that judges do not want to talk to the outside world about what it is they do." Clearly written and based on a broad range of knowledge about the U.S. legal system, this book focuses on many basic problems: the complexity of our court system, with state and federal systems, overburdened courts and untrained judges. Further, as Mayer points out, the two methods of bringing judges to the bench—appointment and election—are marred by politics and ideology. Mayer (The Bankers ) highlights a lack of professionalism: judges, for instance, though well-meaning, rarely rely on statistics about what actually prevents crime. In his last chapter, Mayer notes a few ways to fix what's broken: promoting, for example, a New York–based program of "problem-solving courts"—such as a court that offers, and monitors, treatment for nonviolent drug offenders— that focus on how to make criminals feel responsible for their actions and prevent their participation in future crime. Amid the sea of problems he outlines, however, some readers might wish he had offered a more systematic set of recommendations. (Jan.)