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This remarkable expression of radical republican thought has never before been published. Algernon Sidney was among the most unrelenting partisans of the parliamentary party during the Commonwealth, and died on the scaffold in 1683 for his opposition to Charles II. Sidney's voluminous Discourses Concerning Government was published after his death, but the earlier and more vivid Court Maxims was only recently rediscovered in a manuscript in Warwick Castle. Written during Sidney's continental exile, Court Maxims reveals the international character of republican thought. Its dialogue structure presents a lively discussion about the principles of government and the practice of politics, articulating a vital tradition of republicanism in an age of absolutism. These characteristics make Court Maxims a unique text, essential reading for anyone interested in republicanism or Early Modern political thought

In The Captive Court, Ian Bushnell explores the judicial function of the Supreme Court of Canada from its establishment in the 1870s to the present day. He traces the evolution of the Court as a creative force in Canadian law and reveals its gradual recognition of the need to move from a literal, mechanical approach in interpretation to a more creative one. The introduction of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in 1982 was of particular significance in forcing a re-evaluation of judicial function.