Law One Hundred and OneThe best-selling first edition of Law 101 provided readers with a vividly written and indispensable portrait of our nation's legal system. Now, in this revised edition, Jay M. Feinman offers an updated survey of American law, spiced with new anecdotes and cases, and incorporating fresh material on topics ranging from the President's war powers, to intellectual property, standard form contracts, and eminent domain. Here is an exceptionally clear introduction to law, covering the main subjects found in the first year of law school, giving us a basic understanding of how it all works. Readers are introduced to every aspect of the legal system, from constitutional law and the litigation process to tort law, contract law, property law, and criminal law. Feinman illuminates each discussion with many intriguing, outrageous, and infamous cases, from the scalding coffee case that cost McDonald's half a million dollars, to the sensational murder trial in Victorian London that led to the legal definition of insanity, to the epochal decision in Marbury v. Madison that gave the Supreme Court the power to declare state and federal laws unconstitutional. He broadens the reader's legal vocabulary, clarifying the meaning of everything from "due process" and "equal protection" in constitutional law, to the distinction between "murder" and "manslaughter" in criminal law. Perhaps most important, we learn that though the law is voluminous and complex, it is accessible to all. Everyone who wants a better grasp of current legal issues--from students contemplating law school, to journalists covering the legislature or the courts, to fans of Court TV--will find here a wonderful source of information: a complete, clear, and colorful map of the American legal system. "An entertaining and informative introduction to the law.... For journalists, those interested in the law, and fans of television law dramas, this book should be required reading."--Library Journal |
Contents
You Can Understand the Law | 1 |
Interpreting and Applying the Constitution | 9 |
Constitutional Rights | 47 |
The Litigation Process | 91 |
Personal Injuries and Tort Law | 137 |
6 When Is a Deal a Deal? Businesses Consumers and Contract Law | 181 |
The Law of Property | 215 |
Criminal Responsibility and Criminal Law | 257 |
Criminal Procedure | 305 |
Conclusion | 347 |
| 349 | |
| 353 | |
Common terms and phrases
accident agreement Amendment applied attorney Audi authority behavior cause civil claim clause commerce commerce clause committed conduct Congress constitutional law contract law convicted Court held crime criminal law damages death penalty decide decision defect defendant defendant’s define deter determine Dred Scott driver Dudley and Stephens due process duty enforceable equal protection evidence example exercise facts federal courts guilty harm important imposed injuries intent interest involved issue Jacob & Youngs judge jurisdiction jurors jury Justice kill land lawyers legislature liability limited litigation manufacturer means mental Model Penal Code murder negligence offense owner ownership parties person plaintiff plea bargaining police political prevent principle problem procedure prohibited promise property law prosecution prosecutor punishment reasonable regulation risk Robinsons rules sentence someone speech statute strict liability Supreme Court tenant tion tort law tort reform trial U.S. Supreme Court victim violate wrong