That decision led to the Civil War. One hundred and fifty years later, Earl Maltz, a professor at the Rutgers University School of Law at Camden, offers a new look at this landmark American legal case in a book that offers a comprehensive and balanced look at the Courts decision, and its lingering impact.
Slated for release during the 150th anniversary of the famed Dred Scott Decision, Dred Scott and the Politics of Slavery (University of Kansas Press) scrutinizes carefully both the anti-slavery and pro-slavery arguments and details how the Courts decision failed to serve as a compromise and instead inflamed passions in both the North and the South.
Ultimately, Dred Scott is a story of judicial failure, one that remains a vital chapter in American law and one that must be mastered by anyone wishing to understand the peculiar nature of our national history, says Maltz, who characterizes the decision as a miscalculation that to some degree undermined the Courts power and authority within the American political system.
A nationally regarded expert on U.S. Constitutional law and legal history, Maltz is the author or editor of numerous books, including Civil Rights, the Constitution and Congress, 18631869 and Rehnquist Justice: Understanding the Court Dynamic. He is available to discuss the Dred Scott decision, its history, and how it continues to affect American law today.
Maltz may be reached at (856) 225-6382 or emaltz@camden.rutgers.edu. His biography is online at http://camlaw.rutgers.edu/bio/951.
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