The opening article notes the trend in American society to demand instant answers to complex problems, stampeding public officials into highly touted superficial solutions that show little reflection and analysis. The courts are viewed as having to bear the brunt of the consequences of the quick-fix efforts to deal with criminal justice issues and social problems. Other articles speak against an activist court and reappraise judicial restraint. Judges are encouraged to increase their involvement in educating the public about judicial decisions and matters of law in one essay, while a responding essay sees a danger in judges becoming too responsive to public opinion and debate. The concluding article presents a view of judicial work in the 1980's that focuses on institutional constraints, nonjudicial alternatives for resolving disputes, the use of technology in the court system, the bench-lawyer-client triangle, and the cost of the judicial system. For individual entries, see NCJ 86976-77. Footnotes accompany the articles.