American Law: An Introduction, 3rd Edition

This book provides an introduction to the American legal system for a broad readership. Its focus is on law in practice, on the role of the law in American society; and how the social context affects the living law of the United States. It covers the institutions of law creation and application, law in American government, American legal culture and the legal profession, American criminal and civil justice, and civil rights. Clearly written, the book has been widely used in both undergraduate and graduate courses as an introduction to the legal system; it will be useful, too, to a general audience interested in understanding how this vital social system works. This new edition follows the same basic structure as applied in the previous editions providing a thorough revision and reworking of the text. This edition reflects upon what has happened in the years since the second edition was published in 1998, and how these events and evolutions have shaped our fundamental comprehension of the workings of the American legal system today.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. What Is a Legal System?
Chapter 2. Law: Formal and Informal
Chapter 3. The Background of American Law
Chapter 4. The Structure of American Law: The Courts
Chapter 5. The Structure of American Law: Statutes and Statute Makers
Chapter 6. The Structure of American Law: Executing Policy
Chapter 7. Federalism and American Legal Culture
Chapter 8. Inside the Black Box: The Substance of Law
Chapter 9. Crimes and Punishments
Chapter 10. Constitutional Law and Civil Liberties
Chapter 11. On Legal Behavior
Chapter 12. Legal Culture: Legitimacy and Morality
Chapter 13. The American Legal Profession
Chapter 14. Law and Social Change
Chapter 15. Epilogue: The Future of Law in the United States