University of Michigan Press Blog

A Legacy of Corruption, A Legacy of Change

Tammany Hall and Boss Tweed. The Teapot Dome Scandal. Watergate. Congressmembers Charles B. Rangel and Maxine Waters.

History has shown that public outrage towards elected officials often leads to an incumbent loss in the next election as the perpetrator is ousted from their post. In the upcoming paperback release of "Americans, Congress, and Democratic Responsiveness," authors David R. Jones and Monika L. McDermott assert that the public's satisfaction with their representatives will determine not only seat changes at election time, but also policy shifts within Congress as well.

A recent Gallup Poll cited by the Washington Post has some telling results:

"Gallup puts congressional approval at 11 percent, one point lower than its worst-ever rating. Congress stands last in a list of 16 institutions in terms of public confidence. The legislative branch is now eight points lower than health maintenance organizations, 11 points lower than television news and 14 points lower than newspapers. By about 2 to 1, Americans say they would prefer to vote for a candidate this year who has never been in Congress. "

Jones and McDermott predict that voters will turn against hard-line party members come election time while candidates running under the offending political party will try to distance themselves from the traditional party ideology.

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Stanley Livingston, Ann Arbor photographer for "Blues in Black and White," dies

Stanley Livingston, Ann Arbor music and celebrity photographer, passed away Wednesday, September 15, from a heart attack. He had had heart surgery earlier this year.

Livingston had taken tens of thousands of professional celebrity photographs over the years, including artists ranging from John Lennon to B.B. King. His most recent project was Blues in Black and White, a book of photographs from the early years of the Ann Arbor Blues Festival published this year by the University of Michigan Press. Funeral services have not yet been set. Livingston is survived by his wife, Susan, and daughter, Bethany.

Stanley was a superb photographer, known for solving the most difficult photographic challenges for his commercial and industrial clients. Until his recent book, few people knew the depth of his work in photographing blues musicians in and around Ann Arbor.

He also created an exceptional portfolio of landscapes and environmental portraits of neighbors near his summer cabin at the northernmost tip of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. This wooded region, which was especially dear to Stan, is where he passed away this week.

“I was Stan's partner in creating the recent Blues In Black and White book, and also worked as his assistant for several years in the 1970s,” said designer Tom Erlewine. “His dedication to impeccable quality in image-making was an inspiration that has guided me ever since.”

The University of Michigan Press extends its condolences to Stan's family on their loss.

Are judges legally obligated to enforce an unjust law?

That's the question posed by Douglas E. Edlin in his book, Judges and Unjust Laws. And it's a question that has been answered repeatedly by some of the most high-profile judes in the United States in the past year.

In July of 2009, shortly before her confirmation as Supreme Court judge, Sonia Sotomayor explained her judicial philosophy to be "simple: fidelity to the law. The task of a judge is not to make law, it is to apply the law."

Nearly a year later, during her own Supreme Court confirmation proceedings, Elena Kagen suggested that "The Supreme Court, of course, has the responsibility of ensuring that our government never oversteps its proper bounds or violates the rights of individuals. But the Court must also recognize the limits on itself and respect the choices made by the American people.

Edlin's exploration of the problems posed by unjust laws helped to illuminate the institutional role and responsibilities of judges.  The most recent example his research can be applied to is U.S. District Court Chief Judge Vaughn Walker's decision to overturn Proposition 8 on the grounds that "Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license."

Newly released in paperback, Judges and Unjust Laws examines how judges justify their decisions based on ideas of their official duty and moral responsibility. Using case law analysis, legal theory, constitutional history, and political philosophy, Edlin finds that judges have the authority - perhaps even the obligation - to refuse to enforce laws they determine unjust.

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Record growth year for some Michigan farmers reminds us of the important role of family farms

As Michigan area farmers ready themselves for the upcoming harvest, some have reason to anticipate the best season in recent memory.  Others, especially those in southeast Michigan, find it difficult to imagine topping their records from 2009.

There was a time when news like this, as reported in The Detroit News was considered the single most important information to know.  To farmers of the past, rain fall averages and weather patterns were the language of survival,for the family and their farm. In her recently published book, Michigan Family Farms and Farm Buildings, Hemalata C. Dandekar explores the relationships between Michigan's farming families and the land on which they lived.  She pays particular attention to how these families used the the structure that dotted their acreage, from the farmhouse to livestock shelters. More

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Paper: 978-0-472-05105-2
Cloth: 978-0-472-07105-0
Ebook Formats: 978-0-472-02703-3

Slayer Sighting! - True Blood Creator, Alan Ball and U-M Press book on Vampires

We don't know what drew Alan Ball, creator of hit HBO drama,True Blood, to Bruce A. McClelland's Slayers and Their Vampires: A Cultural History of Killing the Dead, but we do know that he is holding the first book to explore the origins of the vampire slayer.

McClelland presents a nonromanticized history of the earliest vampire rituals that shows how much creative license figured into the refashioning of the vampire for the entertainment of the West. In Western popular culture, very little is said about the nemesis to the Vampire - the Slayer.  They are seen as super-human or heroic when mentioned while their darker nature -- as those who persecute a corpse -- is obscured. 

If you're interested in learning more about this title, visit our Web site for more details.

Q&A with David Schoem, author of College Knowledge for the Jewish Student: 101 Tips

It is critical for the individual Jewish student who enters college to come intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually prepared for the academic and social experience that awaits. College is a qualitatively different experience than high school, and students' expectations need to be set appropriately. The transition from high school to college is so significant that it can be difficult for most students without some preparation.

College Knowledge for the Jewish Student: 101 Tips is the perfect guide for students heading off to college with high expectations for learning, academic success, personal growth, and independence. Through lively tips and compelling student stories about life at college, it offers thoughtful, practical information for every Jewish student who wants to make a successful transition.

David Schoem is Faculty Director, Michigan Community Scholars Program, University of Michigan. He is the author of College Knowledge: 101 Tips and Intergroup Dialogue: Deliberative Democracy in School, College, Community, and Workplace.

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