You may improve this article, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new article, as appropriate. The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. For example, Thomas Jefferson referred to the 'despotic behaviour' of Federalist federal judges, in particular Chief Justice John Marshall.
An article by Craig Green, 'An Intellectual History of Judicial Activism,' is critical of Schlesinger's use of the term 'Schlesinger's original introduction of judicial activism was doubly blurred: not only did he fail to explain what counts as activism, he also declined to say whether activism is good or bad.' Įven before this phrase was first used, the general concept already existed. The phrase has been controversial since its beginning. introduced the term 'judicial activism' in a January 1947 Fortune magazine article titled 'The Supreme Court: 1947'.
