State court judicial review exploded from rare to common between 1850 and 1900

Evidence

Judicial review of state statutes was fairly rare in 1850. By 1900, it was quite common. The state courts, like the federal courts, took eagerly to the device. To some state courts, the taste for power was intoxicating. The figures demonstrate this point. In Virginia, for example, up to the outbreak of the Civil War, the state’s high court had tested the constitutionality of some law or practice in only thirty-​five cases. And in only four instances, did the court hold a law or practice unconstitutional. — Lawrence M. Friedman, A History of American Law, 2076

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Technical state constitutional clauses gave state courts their main striking tools — Lawrence M. Friedman, A History of American Law, 2077

Broader Connections

• Technical state constitutional clauses gave state courts their main striking tools #expands (0.82) — Lawrence M. Friedman, A History of American Law, 2077