Gordon Silverstein is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. A former journalist with a PhD from Harvard University, Massachusetts, Professor Silverstein also has taught at Rice University, Houston, Dartmouth College, Lewis and Clark College, Portland, and the University of Minnesota. Silverstein has written a number of articles and book chapters on American politics, the separation of powers, and judicial power in comparative perspective and is the author of Imbalance of Powers: Constitutional Interpretation and the Making of American Foreign Policy (1996).

• Introduction: law's allure and American politics; Part I. Law's Allure: Why, and Why Now, and Why it Matters: 1. Law's allure: motives, incentives, patterns, and process; 2. Why now? The expansion and acceleration of law's allure; 3. Why it matters: law is different - a theory of precedent; Part II. Law's Allure: Patterns, Process, and Cautionary Tales: 4. Poverty and abortion: the risks and rewards of a judicial strategy; 5. Environmental regulation: a constructive process; 6. Campaign finance: a de-constructive process; 7. When the court says yes - and no: the special prosecutor, budget control, and line item vetoes; 8. When the court is reluctant to intervene: war powers; Part III. Law's Allure: Costs and Consequences: 9. Tobacco: the promise and peril of law's allure; Conclusion: law's allure and American politics: for better - and worse.

“Law’s Allure is a masterful treatment of the causes and consequences of the juridification of American politics. Beautifully written and displaying Silverstein’s encyclopedic knowledge of American constitutional law and practice, the book helps us understand how the courts can both enable and disable our politics under different circumstances. Silverstein integrates both abstract principle and bare-knuckle politics into the account, resulting in a volume that is at the same time profound and accessible. A major contribution that will enlighten both scholars and the informed public.” -- Tom Ginsburg, The University of Chicago Law School