Impartial Justice: The Real Supreme Court Cases that Define the Constitutional Right to a Neutral and Detached Decisionmaker

This book discusses the Constitutional right to a neutral decisionmaker, focusing on U.S. Supreme Court cases on the Sixth Amendment guarantee to a jury in criminal cases and to the due process requirements of an impartial judge and a neutral decisionmaker in quasi-judicial contexts. The work explores how these rights have evolved, and it critically examines relevant Court cases.

Acknowledgements Preface Introduction: A Short History of What It Means to Be a Neutral, Impartial, and Unbiased Decisionmaker Part One: An Impartial Jury Trial in Criminal Cases 1. Prejudicial Pretrial Publicity: Sheppard v. Maxwell (1966) 2. Avoiding Mob Justice: Frank v. Mangum (1915) and Moore v. Dempsey (1923) 3. Racial Discrimination in Jury Selection: Batson v. Kentucky (1986) and Miller-El v. Dretke (2005) 4. Sex Discrimination in Jury Selection: Hoyt v. Florida (1961) and Taylor v. Louisiana (1975) 5. Death-Qualified Juries: Witherspoon v. Illinois (1968) and Lockhart v. McCree (1986) Part Two: Due Process and the Right to an Impartial Judge 6. Mayor-Judges with a Financial Stake in the Outcome: Tumey v. Ohio (1927) and Ward v. Village of Monroeville (1972) 7. A Judge Hearing a Contempt Proceeding after Being Vilified by the Defendant: Mayberry v. Pennsylvania (1971) 8. Non-Lawyer Judges: North v. Russell (1976) 9. The Judge Who Was Bribed in Other Cases: Bracy v. Gramley (1997) 10. A Judge Deciding a Case Involving a Major Campaign Supporter: Caperton v. A.T. Massey Coal Co. (2009) Part Three: Due Process and the Right to an Impartial Decisionmaker in Quasi-Judicial, Non-Court Settings 11. Parole Revocation: Morrissey v. Brewer (1972) 12. Medical License Review: Withrow v. Larkin (1975) 13. Mental Health Commitments for Juveniles: Parham v. J.R. (1979) 14. Prison Discipline: Edwards v. Balisok (1997) 15. Enemy Combatant Cases: Hamdi v. Rumsfeld (2004) Conclusions Catalog of Cases Bibliography Index