Legal history Books

Book SynopsisOriginally published in 1921, this book presents a series of lectures on the Year Books delivered in the University of London. The text gives a concise introduction to the Year Books, providing information on their role in the development of the English legal system and importance as historical documents.Table of ContentsPreface; Introduction; 1. The Year Books: what they are; 2. The Plea Rolls and their purpose; 3. The forgotten process by Bills in Eyre re-discovered in the Year Books; Index.

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Book SynopsisFirst published in 1946, this book formed part of the Cambridge Studies in International and Comparative Law series. The text was written with three key aims: to explain the origin and meaning of comparative law; to describe the purposes for which the comparative method of legal study can be utilised; and to estimate the value of comparative law as an instrument for the growth and development of the law. Tables of cases and statutes are included. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in comparative law and legal history.Table of ContentsGeneral introduction; Preface; Abbreviations; Table of cases; Table of statutes; 1. The province of comparative law; 2. The origins and development of comparative law; 3. The value of comparative law; 4. Comparative law and the conflict of laws; 5. Comparative law and the law of nations; 6. The process of comparison; 7. The comparative approach to case law; 8. The comparative interpretation of statute law; 9. The problem of legal terminology; 10. Comparative law and legal education; 11. The movement for the unification of private law; 12. The nature and characteristics of unified law; 13. The mechanism of unification; Appendix; Index.

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Book SynopsisThis book argues for a change in our understanding of the relationships among law, politics and history. Since the turn of the nineteenth century, a certain anti-foundational conception of history has served to undermine law's foundations, such that we tend to think of law as nothing other than a species of politics. Thus viewed, the activity of unelected, common law judges appears to be an encroachment on the space of democracy. However, Kunal M. Parker shows that the world of the nineteenth century looked rather different. Democracy was itself constrained by a sense that history possessed a logic, meaning and direction that democracy could not contravene. In such a world, far from law being seen in opposition to democracy, it was possible to argue that law - specifically, the common law - did a better job than democracy of guiding America along history's path.Trade Review'This is a wide-ranging and highly original treatment of law and history in nineteenth-century America. Parker incorporates into his story many new texts that have not been examined in this context before and re-examines familiar texts with a fresh eye and novel interpretations. Common Law, History, and Democracy in America, 1790–1900, is an illuminating and insightful work, offering an important contribution to the growing literature on historically and socially minded jurisprudence.' Robert Gordon, Yale Law School'Parker has written an original and stimulating work of intellectual history. By insightfully analyzing how different historical sensibilities and temporalities interacted in nineteenth-century America, he succeeds in revising not only the standard narrative of American legal history, but also our understanding of nineteenth-century historical consciousness.' Dorothy Ross, Arthur O. Lovejoy Professor Emerita of History, Johns Hopkins University'With this bright and closely reasoned book as a shining example, one can say that legal history has entered its post-maturity age … essential reading for everyone interested in nineteenth-century American law.' Peter Charles Hoffer, The American Historical Review'Kunal Parker's Common Law, History, and Democracy in America, 1790–1900: Legal Thought Before Modernism shows how nineteenth-century thinkers thought about law and history differently than do post-Holmesian modernist sociolegal scholars, whose ahistorical law appears contingent on politics, power, or will … His history of legal thought before modernism suggests, further, the predicament of antifoundationalist modern law and modernist scholars: stripped of time and without its own history, how can law be anything other than politics, power, or will?' Marianne Constable, Shai Lavi and Renisa Mawani, Law and Social Inquiry'Parker's book is an important part of the recent reconceptualization of nineteenth century legal thought.' Alfred Brophy, translated from Zeitschrift der Savigny-Stiftung für Rechtsgeschichte'Kunal Parker's searching revisionist history of a crucial slice of the life of the common law in America takes as its organizing problem the commonplace of the collapse of the nation of laws into nothing more than a congeries of politics at the turn of the 20th century …' Penelope Pether, Law & Literature'The read is well worth the time and effort. If you're interested in the history of legal ideas, read it.' Jery B. Payne, Review of Legal Resources'This book is a history of the way in which ideas of history shaped thinking about the common law. This novel and instructive approach makes this book original and stimulating, and revises our understanding of American and English law.' Jonathan Silberstein-Loeb, The Journal of the Historical Association'This book is an important contribution and a considerable achievement.' Polly J. Price, The Journal of American HistoryTable of Contents1. Introduction; 2. The creation of times: the common law and history: the British background; 3. Time as consent: common law thought after the American Revolution; 4. Time as spirit: common law thought in the early nineteenth century; 5. Time as law: common law thought in the mid nineteenth century; 6. Time as life: common law thought in the late nineteenth century; 7. Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisMalcolm Feeley is one of the founding giants of the law and society field, whose vast scholarship examines legal process from the inner workings of criminal courts to the possibility of prison reform. This volume offers essays by leading law and society scholars who reflect on, analyze, and expand Feeley's scholarship.Trade Review'Malcolm Feeley’s writings about America’s contradictory crime wars and criminal justice reform efforts are essential elements of modern criminology. The contributors to this volume take Feeley’s thinking in new and innovative directions that no student or scholar of our continuing predicament will want or can afford to miss. A guide to a futuristic Feeleyian criminology!' John Hagan, John D. MacArthur Professor Professor of Sociology and Law, Northwestern University, Illinois'An extraordinary collection of insightful studies that follow the steps of Malcolm Feeley in relation to the legal process and the promise of justice. It explores the vibrant legacy of this brilliant scholar for the present and it will be a source of inspiration for the future theoretical and empirical developments in these key socio-legal themes, both inside and outside the English speaking contexts.' Máximo Sozzo, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Argentina'This festschrift for Malcolm Feeley, with contributions from eighteen distinguished scholars, provides powerful accounts of how lawyers and judges link policies of crime and punishment to fundamental problems of governing contemporary societies. Provocative and compelling, this collection confronts the current challenges to liberal democracies and the rule of law with trenchant, grounded analyses.' Susan S. Silbey, Leon and Anne Goldberg Professor of Humanities, Massachusetts Institute of Technology'Far from being only a much deserved tribute to Malcolm Feeley, this book opens up new perspectives. By recalling the numerous insights of his scholarship, from The Process is the Punishment to debates on court reform or sociology of legal professionals, this rich array of scholars put these studies in perspective and demonstrate how fruitful his perspective is for socio-legal studies, in several national contexts. The same could even be said beyond that specific field, from the sociology of organizations to public policy analysis.' Liora Israël, École des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, ParisTable of ContentsIntroduction Jonathan Simon, Hadar Aviram and Rosann Greenspan; Part I. The Process is the Punishment: 1. Adversarial bias and the criminal process: infusing the organizational perspective on criminal courts with insights from behavioral science Hadar Aviram; 2. Malcolm Feeley's concept of law Issa Kohler-Hausmann; 3. Process as intergenerational punishment: are children casualties of parental court experiences? Kay Levine and Volkan Topalli; 4. The process is the problem Shauhin Talesh; Part II. Court Reform on Trial: 5. Vaping on trial: e-cigarettes, law, and society Eric Feldman; 6. Japanese court reform on trial David T. Johnson and Setsuo Miyazawa; 7. Court reform and comparative criminal justice David Nelken; 8. The birth of the penal organization: why prisons were born to fail Ashley T. Rubin; 9. The misbegotten: infanticide in Victorian England Lawrence M. Friedman; Part III. Judicial Policymaking and the Modern State: 10. Judicial deference in the modern state Lauren B. Edelman; 11. Judges, labor, and economic inequality Paul Frymer; 12. Administrative 'states' of judicial policy on gender-motivated violence Christine B. Harrington; 13. Can courts abolish mass incarceration? Jonathan Simon; 14. Policy making by out-of-court settlements: intelligence informers at the Israeli High Court of Justice Menachem Hofnung; Part IV. Political Liberalism and the Legal Complex: 15. The international legal complex: Wang Yu and the global response to repression of China's political lawyers Terence C. Halliday; 16. The legal profession's promise of justice: choices and challenges in legal and socio-legal work Mark Fathi Massoud; 17. The varieties of judicial independence and the judiciary's role in political reform Edward L. Rubin; 18. The legal complex and lawyers-in-chief Kim Lane Scheppele.

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Book SynopsisKing Alfred's domboc ('book of laws'), the most ambitious legal text of the Anglo-Saxon period, combines translated biblical laws with Alfred's own ordinances and those of the early West-Saxon King Ine. This edition and commentary - the first in over a century - will interest all students of English history and law.Trade Review'Written by two leading specialists in early medieval legal studies, this book offers a rigorous re-evaluation of West Saxon law in its historical context, together with a new edition that will undoubtedly become a primary source of reference in the field.' Carole Hough, University of Glasgow'This impressive new edition of Alfred's laws locates them, all 120 clauses, more fully than before within the 'Alfredian achievement'. Its editors bring to their task a mastery of relevant literature, not just historical studies but, because their training was primarily literary and linguistic, a deep knowledge of the whole Old English corpus.' Paul Hyams, Cornell University'Come for the critical edition and stay for the commendable exegesis of Alfred's prologue and laws. Jurasinski and Oliver's masterful work is bound to become the definitive scholarly edition. It will be an essential text for scholars of Old English literature as well as legal historians interested in the medieval reception of the domboc and its later life in the age of print.' Elizabeth Papp Kamali, Harvard Law School'This book will transform the field of early English law. Jurasinski and Oliver's excellent critical edition provides faithful, readable translations in modern English alongside meticulously researched contextual essays. The Laws of Alfred makes the complete ninth-century text newly accessible to specialists and students alike.' Nicole Marafioti, Trinity University'A reliable and richly annotated text suitable for both the seasoned historian of early medieval Britain and the student reader. … This is a remarkable volume, without which no shelf of early medieval European history or legal history will be complete.' Roy Flechner, Speculum: A Journal of Medieval StudiesTable of ContentsList of Figures; List of Tables; Acknowledgments; Preface; Part I.: 1. The emergence of written law in early England; 2. Legal erudition in seventh- and ninth-century Wessex; 3. Reshaping tradition: oaths, ordeals, and the 'innovations' of the domboc; 4. The transmission of the domboc: old English manuscripts and other early witnesses; 5. Reception, editorial history, and interpretative legacies; Part II. Editions: 6. Rubrics in Cambridge, Corpus Christi College MSS 173 and 383; 7. Alfred's prologue; 8. The laws of Alfred; 9. The laws of Ine; Appendix I: handlist of prior editions; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisUsing India as a case study, Joseph McQuade traces the genealogy of the political and legal category of terrorism. He demonstrates how the modern concept of terrorism was shaped by colonial emergency laws dating back into the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.Trade Review'A brilliant deconstruction of the colonial prose of counter-terrorism and its post-colonial legacy, McQuade's book provides new insights into how legal states of exception were crafted to delegitimize revolutionary violence. A must read for anyone wishing to understand the true nature of British 'rule of law' in India and its global ramifications.' Sugata Bose, Harvard University, Massachusetts'The declaration of a global war on terrorism in 2001 did not come out of the clear blue sky. Instead, as Joseph McQuade demonstrates in this brilliantly conceived and researched genealogy, some of its most forgotten roots lie in Britain's colonial administration in India and its diplomatic efforts on the world stage. An essential contribution to imperial and international legal history.' Samuel Moyn, Yale University, Connecticut'McQuaid provides a fascinating discussion of historical debate about political violence as it evolved in India from the eighteenth century to the making of terrorism as an international legal category in 1937 … McQuaid's excellent book will appeal to anyone interested in India, terrorism, or an elegant application of Foucault's ideas.' Richard Bach Jensen, Project MuseTable of ContentsIntroduction. The colonial prose of counterterrorism; 1. Ethereal assassins: colonial law and 'hereditary crime' in the nineteenth century; 2. 'The magical lore of Bengal': surveillance, swadeshi, and propaganda by bomb, 1890s to 1913; 3. 'The eye of government is on them': anti-colonialism and emergency during the First World War; 4. Indefinite emergency: revolutionary politics and 'terrorism' in interwar India; 5. Terrorism as a 'world crime': the British Empire, international law, and the invention of global terrorism; Conclusion. Empire, law, and terrorism in the twenty-first century.

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Book SynopsisAlfred the Great''s domboc (''book of laws'') is the longest and most ambitious legal text of the Anglo-Saxon period. Alfred places his own laws, dealing with everything from sanctuary to feuding to the theft of bees, between a lengthy translation of legal passages from the Bible and the legislation of the West-Saxon King Ine (r. 688726), which rival his own in length and scope. This book is the first critical edition of the domboc published in over a century, as well as a new translation. Five introductory chapters offer fresh insights into the laws of Alfred and Ine, considering their backgrounds, their relationship to early medieval legal culture, their manuscript evidence and their reception in later centuries. Rather than a haphazard accumulation of ordinances, the domboc is shown to issue from deep reflection on the nature of law itself, whose effects would permanently alter the development of early English legislation.Trade Review'Written by two leading specialists in early medieval legal studies, this book offers a rigorous re-evaluation of West Saxon law in its historical context, together with a new edition that will undoubtedly become a primary source of reference in the field.' Carole Hough, University of Glasgow'This impressive new edition of Alfred's laws locates them, all 120 clauses, more fully than before within the 'Alfredian achievement'. Its editors bring to their task a mastery of relevant literature, not just historical studies but, because their training was primarily literary and linguistic, a deep knowledge of the whole Old English corpus.' Paul Hyams, Cornell University'Come for the critical edition and stay for the commendable exegesis of Alfred's prologue and laws. Jurasinski and Oliver's masterful work is bound to become the definitive scholarly edition. It will be an essential text for scholars of Old English literature as well as legal historians interested in the medieval reception of the domboc and its later life in the age of print.' Elizabeth Papp Kamali, Harvard Law School'This book will transform the field of early English law. Jurasinski and Oliver's excellent critical edition provides faithful, readable translations in modern English alongside meticulously researched contextual essays. The Laws of Alfred makes the complete ninth-century text newly accessible to specialists and students alike.' Nicole Marafioti, Trinity UniversityTable of ContentsList of Figures; List of Tables; Acknowledgments; Preface; Part I.: 1. The emergence of written law in early England; 2. Legal erudition in seventh- and ninth-century Wessex; 3. Reshaping tradition: oaths, ordeals, and the 'innovations' of the domboc; 4. The transmission of the domboc: old English manuscripts and other early witnesses; 5. Reception, editorial history, and interpretative legacies; Part II. Editions: 6. Rubrics in Cambridge, Corpus Christi College MSS 173 and 383; 7. Alfred's prologue; 8. The laws of Alfred; 9. The laws of Ine; Appendix I: handlist of prior editions; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisAn indispensable guide to how marriage acquired the status of a sacrament. This book analyzes in detail how medieval theologians explained the place of matrimony in the church and her law, and how the bitter debates of the sixteenth century elevated the doctrine to a dogma of the Catholic faith.Trade Review'For theologians interested in the history of sacramental theology, this monograph is a [must-read] … Philip L. Reynolds is an historical theologian and here he gives a masterly and accessible demonstration of what the his­torical theologian does and why he does it … One of the great, perhaps unintended, benefits of [Reynolds'] monograph is that it contributes vast theological data and analysis to demonstrate yet one more time doctrinal development in the Catholic Church … this is a carefully researched and meticulously detailed history of the theology of the sacrament of marriage.' Michael G. Lawler, Marriage, Families and Spirituality'No medievalist can afford to ignore this book, which is a truly magisterial achievement, worthy of the highest praise.' Alastair Minnis, Medium ÆvumTable of Contents1. Marriage as a sacrament; Part I. Augustine: 2. Marriage in Augustine's writings; 3. Bonum prolis, bonum fidei: the utility of marriage; 4. Bonum sacramenti: the sanctity and insolubility of marriage; Part II. Getting Married: Consent, Betrothal, and Consummation: 5. Betrothal and consent; 6. Consummation; 7. From competing theories to common doctrine in the twelfth century; Part III. The Twelfth Century: Origins and Early Development of the Sacramental Theology of Marriage: 8. Introduction to the sentential literature on marriage; 9. The theology of marriage in the Sententiae; 10. Hugh of Saint-Victor; 11. The early doctrine of marriage as one of the sacraments; Part IV. The Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries: Development of the Classical Doctrine: 12. Marriage as union; 13. Scholastic sexual ethics; 14. Marriage as a sacrament; 15. The question of grace; 16. Human contract and divine sacrament; Part V. The Council of Trent: 17. On the eve of the General Council; 18. The Sacrament of marriage at Bologna and Trent; 19. Clandestine marriage: Bologna, 1547; 20. Clandestine marriage: Trent, 1563.

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Book SynopsisThis book will be of interest to international lawyers, UN officials, policymakers, and scholars. It urges a critical examination of the UN's handling of the question of Palestine and how the organization can discharge its functions more effectively, in line with international law and justice.Table of ContentsList of maps; Foreword; Preface; Acknowledgements; Table of Cases; Table of Treaties and International Instruments; List of Abbreviations; 1. Introduction; 2. The Interwar Period; 3. 1947: The UN Plan of Partition for Palestine; 4. 1948 and After: The UN and the Palestinian Refugees; 5. 1967 and After: The UN and the Occupied Palestinian Territory; 6. 2011 and After: Membership of Palestine in the UN; 7. Conclusion; Postscript.

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Book SynopsisJustin Desautels-Stein focuses on the development of pragmatic liberalism, between 1870 and the present. Using property law, constitutional law, and antitrust law as case studies, he places the intellectual history of liberalism into a contemporary legal context.Trade Review'In this wide-ranging and masterful work, Justin Desautels-Stein explores, dissects, and critiques what it means to think like a lawyer in today's hegemonic context of liberal legal thought. Drawing on art history and musicology, ranging from the anthropologist Philippe Descola to the philosopher Hubert Dreyfus, from Roland Barthes to Michel Foucault, Desautels-Stein creatively reinvigorates the Harvard School of legal structuralism to expose the deep historical, structural, and conceptual illusions of contemporary pragmatic legal liberal thought.' Bernard E. Harcourt, author of The Illusion of Free Markets: Punishment and the Myth of Natural Order'An engrossing, at times deeply moving effort to recover the unity and purpose of critical legal studies.' Charles Sabel, Columbia Law School, New York'A fascinating contribution to critical legal thought in the United States. Desautels-Stein revisits and reinterprets American legal pragmatism alongside late twentieth century efforts to assess and critique its practice. His direct informal style brings complex theoretical debates to life.' David Kennedy, Harvard Law School, MassachusettsTable of ContentsOverture; 1. The rise and fall of the Harvard School; 2. Towards a jurisprudence of style; 3. Structure and style in time; 4. The classical style 5. The modern style; 6. Liberal legalism and the context of legal thought; 7. American pragmatism; 8. Liberal legalism is dead: long live liberal legalism; 9. Trompe L'oeil liberalism; Coda.

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Book SynopsisThe first English translation of a comprehensive legal history of Europe from the early middle ages to the twentieth century, encompassing both the common aspects and the original developments of different countries. As well as legal scholars and professionals, it will appeal to those interested in the general history of European civilisation.Trade Review'… a finely detailed and richly contextual account of European legal history. Originally published in 2007 in Italian, this 2017 edition is the first English translation of the title … The content of the book starts far earlier in time than most European legal history volumes, beginning with a retelling of law, church, kingdoms, and customs from as early as the fifth century. … [It] leads readers through the six main phases of European legal history, including an updated section that covers recent developments in the European Union. … this work is well-suited to a historian looking for a precisely detailed time line of European history as it relates to the law.' E. Millspaugh, ChoiceTable of ContentsPart I. Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages (V–XI Century): 1. Law in late antiquity; 2. Christianity, Church and law; 3. Law of the Germanic Kingdoms; 4. The Carolingian and Feudal age; 5. Customs and legal culture; 6. Church reform; Part II. The Age of the Classical Ius Commune (XII–XV Century): 7. The Glossators and the new legal science; 8. Canon law; 9. Law and institutions; 10. University - students and teachers; 11. Legal professions; 12. The commentators; 13. Particular laws; 14. Local laws; 15. The legal system of the medieval ius commune; 16. English common law - the formative years; Part III. The Early Modern Period (XVI–XVIII Century): 17. Churches and states in the age of absolutism; 18. Legal humanism; 19. Practitioners and professors; 20. Legal doctrine and the legal professions; 21. Court decisions; 22. Local law and royal legislations; 23. Natural law; 24. Jurists of the eighteenth century; 25. The sources of law; 26. English law (XVI–XVIII century); Part IV. The Age of Reforms (1750–1814): 27. The Enlightenment and the law; 28. The reforms; 29. The French Revolution and the law; 30. The Napoleonic era; 31. The Codifications; Part V. The Age of Nations (1815–1914): 32. Law during the Restoration; 33. The Historical School and German legal science; 34. Late nineteenth-century codes and laws; 35. Legal professions; 36. Legal science between the nineteenth and the twentieth century; Part VI. The Twentieth Century: 37. Law and legislation between the two World Wars; 38. Law in the second half of the twentieth century; 39. Some outlines of the new legal culture; 40. European Union law; 41. Heading towards global law?

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Book SynopsisIn the years before the Civil War, many Americans saw the sea as a world apart, an often violent and insular culture governed by its own definitions of honor and ruled by its own authorities. This title tracks how seamen conceived of themselves as individuals and how they defined their place within the United States.Trade Review"Matthew Taylor Raffety carries a bright lantern from the dark hold of a deep-sea sailing ship to the federal courtroom and back again, casting fresh light on several of the biggest issues of American history." (Marcus Rediker, author of The Amistad Rebellion: An Atlantic Odyssey of Slavery and Freedom)"

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Book SynopsisA renowned legal scholar tells the definitive story of Hollingsworth v. Perry, the trial that stands as the most potent argument for marriage equalitySpeak Now tells the story of a watershed trial that unfolded over twelve tense days in California in 2010. A trial that legalized same-sex marriage in our most populous state. A trial that interrogated the nature of marriage, the political status of gays and lesbians, the ideal circumstances for raising children, and the ability of direct democracy to protect fundamental rights. A trial that stands as the most potent argument for marriage equality this nation has ever seen. In telling the story of Hollingsworth v. Perry, the groundbreaking federal lawsuit against Proposition 8, Kenji Yoshino has also written a paean to the vanishing civil trial--an oasis of rationality in what is often a decidedly uncivil debate. Above all, this book is a work of deep humanity, in which Yoshino brings

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Book SynopsisA Los Angeles Times Best Book of 2015 Roberta Kaplan’s gripping story of her defeat of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) before the Supreme Court.Trade Review"United States v. Windsor was a landmark ruling, and the case’s architect, Roberta Kaplan, emerged as a true American hero. Then Comes Marriage is a riveting account of a watershed moment in our history, and the strategy, ingenuity, and humanity that made it happen." -- President Bill Clinton"I thought I knew the Windsor case chapter-and-verse. As if! Then Comes Marriage will forever change the understanding of this landmark case—its genesis, its outside-the-box strategy, and its tactical brilliance. This is the can’t-put-down, emotional, funny, essential explanatory text that makes sense of Windsor, not just as law but as life." -- Rachel Maddow, television host"Roberta Kaplan makes questions of constitutionality and the intricacies of legal strategy read like a John Grisham thriller. Then Comes Marriage explains how we arrived at this surprising moment in history, but it’s also a testament to the persuasive, transformative power of a good story." -- Alison Bechdel, author of Dykes to Watch Out For and Fun Home"A fast-paced, engaging account…. Kaplan breaks down the legal and procedural issues for nonlawyers and preserves suspense even where we know the outcome." -- Jeffrey S. Trachtman - Huffington Post"[A] scintillating read…. [Kaplan and Dickey] weave a fascinating narrative that gives the reader an insight into one of the Supreme Court’s most provocative cases…. This book deserves a place on everyone’s shelf." -- Joan M. Burda - New York Journal of Books"Compelling…. Kaplan deftly uses [Thea Spyer and Edie Windsor’s] story as a lens through which to consider a broader set of inequities, less about marriage than common human decency…. [A] deeply moving book." -- David Ulin - Los Angeles Times"Along with detailing her legal strategy in the lower courts, Kaplan weaves her own coming-out story and her personal relationship into the story of her clients Edie Windsor and Thea Spyer…provid[ing] a revealing juxtaposition of how two very different generations of lesbians wrestled with the social attitudes of their times. It’s a timely, well-told story, brimming with observations about the importance of family…. Kaplan’s rallying cry, ‘It’s all about Edie, stupid,’ keeps the stories of two remarkable women at the center of this historic legal and human drama." -- Publishers Weekly, Starred review"This book tells all. Two great love stories (Robbie and Rachel, Thea and Edie), the trial, and all the internal struggles. It was so interesting and well-written that I could not stop reading it." -- Robin Tyler - The Advocate"[A] page-turning, powerful new book." -- Michelangelo Signorile

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Book SynopsisA New York Times Editors' Choice Winner of the J. Anthony Lukas Award Longlisted for the Cundill History Prize Absorbing. Segregation is not one story but many. Luxenberg has written his with energy, elegance and a heart aching for a world without it. James Goodman, The New York Times Book ReviewTrade Review"Dazzlingly well-reported.… [A]n eye-opening journey through some of the darkest passages and haunting corridors of American history." -- Terence Samuel - NPR"Deeply researched, and it wears its learning lightly." -- Louis Menand - The New Yorker"A striking view of Reconstruction and of the tragic stillbirth of freedom in that era." -- Charles S. Dameron - Wall Street Journal"Separate vividly tells the story of how far our country had to go to repudiate its commitments to a racial double standard." -- David Cole - The Nation"Luxenberg gives a three-dimensional and almost novelistic treatment to the players involved, drawing on diaries, letters and archival research." -- Joumana Khatib - The New York Times"In Separate, the context and aftermath of the court’s ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson are woven into a nuanced history of America’s struggles in the 19th century as a civil war was fought, slavery ended and a new, complex racial politics haltingly took form." -- The Economist"Informative, engaging, exquisitely written, sensitive to individuals’ frailties, flaws, and inconsistencies, by turns inspiring and dispiriting, Separate is a splendid work of history." -- Glenn C. Altschuler - Florida Courier"In documenting this country’s fateful journey from slavery through thwarted Reconstruction to segregation, Luxenberg paints on a broad canvas, elegantly narrating several captivating and scrupulously researched stories that converge in Plessy v. Ferguson.… [F]ascinating." -- Steve Nathans-Kelly - New York Journal of Books"[Luxenberg] is a fine writer… Separate reminds us that our history is not simply a narrative of greater and greater freedom." -- Eric Foner - The Washington Post"An ambitious and deeply researched nonfiction account.… [Luxenberg] draws on letters, diaries and archival collections to bring the true story to life." -- Suzanne Van Atten - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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Book SynopsisA work of striking political and legal imagination. Aziz Rana, author of The Two Faces of American FreedomTrade Review"Provocative and sensible.… Robert L. Tsai shows us that in the never-ending struggle for equality, progress is sometimes more effectively achieved indirectly." -- David Cole, national legal director, ACLU"Robert L. Tsai brilliantly describes great court decisions of the past that engaged in such bridge-building exercises, setting precedents for future justices to follow if they hope to sustain broad public support." -- Bruce Ackerman, author of We the People"Appalled by inequality, our minds turn immediately to its opposite. Sidestepping that impulse, as Tsai advocates, requires giving up a satisfying rhetorical clarity, but it may bring us closer to our moral common sense." -- Joshua Rothman - New Yorker"Robert L. Tsai develops his argument via a great array of well-told historical and contemporary cases, and he is deeply alive to the perils as well as the promise of his proposal." -- William E. Forbath, coauthor of The Anti-Oligarchy Constitution

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Book SynopsisA powerful and humane exploration of the history of the "insanity defense," through the story of one poignant case.Trade Review"A deeply moving tale of what happens when we ‘treat’ severe poverty and mental illness through the criminal justice system. Drawing on her firsthand experience and expertise with a modern-day insanity defense trial, Susan Vinocour writes like a novelist, showing us in riveting detail just how injustice operates." -- David Cole, national legal director, ACLU, and author of Engines of Liberty"As passionate as she is knowledgeable, Susan Vinocour brings humanity and dignity to telling the story of a woman whose voice we would otherwise never hear. Nobody's Child wraps a powerful narrative, a thought-provoking reflection on truth and evidence, and a wake-up call about the law's misunderstandings of mental illness into one unforgettable book." -- Susan Cheever, author of Drinking in America"In the age of the accelerated news cycle, the weaponization of outrage, and the easy rush to judgment, Nobody's Child is a harrowing journey through our broken judicial system. Susan Vinocour's expertise as a forensic psychologist—along with her humanity and literary talent—makes for a galvanizing read and, ultimately, a much-needed call for compassion." -- Jessica Bruder, author of Nomadland"In this moving, well-researched account of the insanity defense…Vinocour does a fine job explaining the defense in layman's terms. Sterling prose helps make this a page-turner." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

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Book SynopsisWhen Louis XVI gave Ben Franklin a diamond-encrusted snuffbox, the gift troubled Americans: it threatened to corrupt him by clouding his judgment. By contrast, in 2010 the Supreme Court gave corporations the right to spend unlimited money to influence elections. Zephyr Teachout shows that Citizens United was both bad law and bad history.

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Book SynopsisLearn about the most important legal milestones in history in The Law Book.Part of the fascinating Big Ideas series, this book tackles tricky topics and themes in a simple and easy to follow format. Learn about Law in this overview guide to the subject, great for novices looking to find out more and experts wishing to refresh their knowledge alike! The Law Book brings a fresh and vibrant take on the topic through eye-catching graphics and diagrams to immerse yourself in. This captivating book will broaden your understanding of Law, with:- More than 90 ground-breaking legal milestones- Packed with facts, charts, timelines and graphs to help explain core concepts- A visual approach to big subjects with striking illustrations and graphics throughout- Easy to follow text makes topics accessible for people at any level of understandingThe Law Book is a captivating introduction to the legal precedents,

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Book SynopsisDetermining that the term sykophant was applied rhetorically rather than, as some have believed, to describe a specific subclass, Christ shows how the public debates over legal chicanery helped define the limits of ethical behavior under the law and in public life.Trade Review[An] excellent and well-written book. -- W. Jeffrey Tatum American Historical ReviewTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsAbbreviationsIntroduction: Litigiousness, Ancient and ModernChapter 1. Litigation in Democratic AthensChapter 2. The Invention of Sykophancy: Idea and IdeologyChapter 3. Litigation and Class Conflict Chapter 4. Public Suits and Volunteer ProsecutorsChapter 5. Private Quarrels and Public Disputes: Quarrelsomeness and Community IdealsChapter 6. Beyond the Letter of the LawConclusionsNotesSelect BibliographyIndex of Ancient CitationsGeneral Index

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Book SynopsisThe result is a work that incorporates all the ideas that Watson has put forward during his twenty-five years studying comparative law and the development of legal systems, combining a remarkable range of sources with superb insight.Trade ReviewThe Evolution of Western Private Law is an innovative look at the development of the Western legal tradition. It makes an important contribution to the literature on legal history, and Watson has carefully examined the sources and the relevant legal documents. Although highly detailed and somewhat technical, Watson writes with great clarity. -- Gerald J. Russello Bryn Mawr Classical ReviewTable of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgementsAbbreviations1. Legislation2. Jurists3. Judges4. Custom5. Legislation and Jurists: French Delit6. Jurists, Judges, Custom, Legislation: Water Rights7. Legal Transplants I: The Cause of the Reception of Roman Law8. Legal Transplants 2: Other Reception of Roman Law9. The Case of English Common law10. Humanism, The Law of Reason, Codification11. ConclusionsNotesGlossaryIndex

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Book SynopsisAs a young lawyer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Louis Brandeis, born into a family of reformers who came to the United States to escape European anti-Semitism, established the way modern law is practiced. He was an early champion of the right to privacy and pioneer the idea of pro bono work by attorneys. Brandeis invented savings bank life insurance in Massachusetts and was a driving force in the development of the Clayton Antitrust Act, the Federal Reserve Act, and the law establishing the Federal Trade Commission. Brandeis witnessed and suffered from the anti-Semitism rampant in the United States in the early twentieth century, and with the outbreak of World War I, became at age fifty-eight the head of the American Zionist movement. During the brutal six-month congressional confirmation battle that ensued when Woodrow Wilson nominated him to the Supreme Court in 1916, Brandeis was described as “a disturbing element in any gentlemen’

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Book SynopsisNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the first woman to sit on the United States Supreme Court comes this fascinating book about the history and evolution of the highest court in the land.“[A] succinct, snappy account of how today’s court—so powerful, so controversial and so frequently dissected by the media—evolved from such startlingly humble and uncertain beginnings.”—The New York Times   Out of Order sheds light on the centuries of change and upheaval that transformed the Supreme Court from its uncertain beginnings into the remarkable institution that thrives and endures today. From the early days of circuit-riding, when justices who also served as trial judges traveled thousands of miles per year on horseback to hear cases, to the changes in civil rights ushered in by Earl Warren and Thurgood Marshall; from foundational decisions such as Marbury v. Madison to modern-day cases

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Book SynopsisThere is scant academic work that empirically tests whether nonracial campaigns provide an advantage to Democrats today. This book argues that racial appeals are an effective form of outreach for Democratic candidates and enhance, rather than detract from, their electability in America’s current political climate.

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Book SynopsisJames Prendergast is the most infamous figure in New Zealand's legal history, known mainly for his condemnation of the Treaty of Waitangi as a simple nullity in 1877. But during his lifetime Prendergast was a highly respected lawyer and judge. He was arguably New Zealand's dominant legal professional from 1865 to 1899, and his good reputation remained intact until the 1980s, when the Treaty of Waitangi finally returned to the centre of New Zealand political life. The more the Treaty has been celebrated, the more Prendergast has been condemned. Who was this legal villain? Was he really a villain at all? This comprehensive biography charts Prendergast's life from his upbringing in the heart of London's legal world through to his long and eventful reign as New Zealand's third Chief Justice. It provides fascinating insights into different parts of the 19th-century British Empire and, in particular, colonial Wellington, featuring bitter feuds, groundbreaking judgments, and personal tragedy.

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Book SynopsisSome of the most unique and important of all early American law reports are those of Josiah Quincy Junior (1744-1775). This book presents Quincy's candid accounts of events great and small that shed light on life in the American colonies just before the Revolution.

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Book SynopsisDrawing from legal and extralegal discourse but focusing on imaginative literature, this book examines representations of, responses to, and arguments for and against the death penalty in the United States over the long nineteenth century. It creates a generative dialogue between artistic relics and legal history.Trade ReviewAn essential new effort to examine the link between literary representation and the death penalty in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century America-a link that historicist criticism has left surprisingly underexplored in all areas of literary study... Barton's study of the death penalty in American literature is rich and wide-ranging... Because of its very carefully contextualized analysis of a range of authors and their approaches to the death penalty, and because the death penalty is so crucial in political and literary history for all the reasons Barton mentions, his book provides a necessary chapter in the historical analysis of nineteenth century American literature. Any scholars interested in death penalty debates-and perhaps everyone should be-will find their own understanding and research enhanced by the breadth of this book and its attention to nuances among political positions. -- Mark Canuel Review 19 A rich account of the formative power that the institution of capital punishment exerted on the construction of the American citizen-subject from colonial times through the 1920s. -- Birte Christ American Literary HistoryTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: The Cultural Rhetoric of Capital Punishment1. Anti-gallows Activism in Antebellum American Law and Literature2. Simms, Child, and the Aesthetics of Crime and Punishment3. Literary Executions in Cooper, Lippard, and Judd4. Hawthorne and the Evidentiary Value of Literature5. Melville, MacKenzie, and Military Executions6. Capital Punishment and the Criminal Justice System in Dreiser's An American TragedyEpilogue: "The Death Penalty in Literature"NotesIndex

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