Public Regulation Through Private Litigation

Agents of Justice chronicles the key role played by agencies in shaping the development of the "litigation state": the American phenomenon of policy enforcement by private litigation. Quinn Mulroy argues that this enforcement strategy is very much by design, exploring how civil rights and environmental agencies established during the rights revolution developed creative strategies for mobilizing litigation by private individuals. The book examines how and when agency officials, acting as agents of justice, divert their attention and resources to helping level the playing field for private plaintiffs seeking to protect their rights through the legal system--ultimately transferring regulatory authority from the bureaucracy to the courts.