Congress and the Supreme Court have had many intense conflicts over the years. This paper examines that relationship in an effort to determine whether the Court's role is essentially that of legitimator or disturber of the political universe. Drawing upon the analysis of Dahl as critiqued by Funston, Adamany, and Casper, the relationship is tested using a much broader data base than was used by the previous studies. Based upon this analysis, the Court is characterized as a legitimator but also as a significant wielder of power (contrary to Dahl's earlier assertions).
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Handberg et al. (1980) studied this question.