In this fifth edition of his bestselling classic, Jay Feinman provides an authoritative and up-to-date overview of the American legal system. In the years since the publication of the fourth edition, there have been many important developments on the legal front. The Supreme Court has issued important decisions on presidential powers, freedom of religion, and personal liberty. Police shootings and the rise of Black Lives Matter has impacted the court system too. The rise of arbitration at the expense of jury trials has affected the rights of consumers, and internet law remains in a state of constant change. This fully updated fifth edition of Law 101 accounts for all these developments and more, as Feinman once again provides a clear introduction to American law. The book covers all the main subjects taught in the first year of law school, and discusses every facet of the American legal tradition, including constitutional law, the litigation process, and criminal, property, and contracts law. To illustrate how the legal system works, Feinman draws from noteworthy, infamous, and even outrageous examples and cases. We learn about the case involving scalding coffee that cost McDonald's half a million dollars, the murder trial in Victorian London that gave us the legal definition of insanity, and the epochal decision of Marbury vs. Madison that gave the Supreme Court the power to declare state and federal law unconstitutional. A key to learning about the law is understanding legal vocabulary, and Feinman helps by clarifying terms like "due process" and "equal protection," as well as by drawing distinctions between terms like "murder" and "manslaughter." Above all, Feinman reveals to readers of all kinds that despite its complexities and quirks, the law can be understood by everyone. Perfect for students contemplating law school, journalists covering legislature, or even casual fans of "court-television" shows, Law 101 is a clear and accessible introduction to the American legal system.
Author(s): Jay M. Feinman
Series: Law 101
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Year: 2018
Language: English
Pages: 377
Tags: American Law, Constitutional Law, General Constitutional Law, Administrative Law
Cover......Page 1
Law 101......Page 4
Copyright......Page 5
Dedication......Page 6
Contents......Page 8
Preface......Page 12
1 There Are No Secret Books: You Can Understand the Law......Page 16
What is constitutional law?......Page 24
Why do we need constitutional law?......Page 29
How does the Supreme Court decide what the Constitution means?......Page 33
Where does the Supreme Court get the authority to interpret the Constitution?......Page 39
What powers does constitutional law give to the rest of the federal government?......Page 45
What powers do the states have under constitutional law?......Page 57
What rights does constitutional law protect?......Page 62
What is due process?......Page 64
Does constitutional law require that everyone be treated equally?......Page 68
How does the Constitution protect freedom of speech?......Page 75
How does the Constitution protect freedom of religion?......Page 89
What other rights are protected by the Constitution?......Page 96
What is civil procedure?......Page 110
Why do we need civil litigation and civil procedure?......Page 113
Where do court cases come from?......Page 115
Where can a lawsuit be brought?......Page 117
When can you make a federal case out of it?......Page 120
If you can sue in different places, what law will apply in each place?......Page 124
How does a lawsuit begin?......Page 125
What can the defendant do to respond to a lawsuit?......Page 127
What if there are more than two parties to a lawsuit?......Page 130
What if there are many parties to a lawsuit?......Page 133
How do the parties discover the facts about their case?......Page 134
What else happens before the trial?......Page 138
What happens at trial?......Page 140
What evidence can be presented at trial?......Page 143
What about the jury?......Page 145
What happens after trial?......Page 151
5 Hot Coffee and Crashing Cars: Tort Law......Page 156
What is tort law?......Page 157
Why do we need tort law?......Page 159
Is it a tort when you hit someone?......Page 164
Is it a tort when you injure someone by not being careful?......Page 167
What does the law mean by reasonable care?......Page 171
How does a plaintiff prove that a defendant has been negligent?......Page 174
What if the victim is partly at fault for an accident?......Page 177
If someone does not intend to injure someone else and acts with reasonable care, can he or she still be liable in tort?......Page 179
When is a manufacturer liable for injuries caused by its products?......Page 180
What damages can a plaintiff get in a tort case?......Page 186
When are damages awarded to punish the defendant?......Page 191
What is contract law?......Page 194
Why do we need contract law?......Page 195
How do you make a contract?......Page 200
Does a contract have to be in writing to be enforceable?......Page 204
Can anyone make a contract?......Page 206
Once two people make an agreement, is it always enforceable?......Page 207
If a contract is unfair, can a court refuse to enforce it?......Page 210
How does the law treat form contracts and online contracts?......Page 212
Once you make a contract, can you ever get out of it?......Page 217
What happens if one party’s performance depends on something happening and it doesn’t happen?......Page 219
Will a court order someone to perform a contract?......Page 222
How much does someone have to pay for not keeping a promise?......Page 224
What is property law?......Page 228
Why do we need property law?......Page 232
What kinds of property are there?......Page 235
Who owns the Internet?......Page 238
How can someone acquire property?......Page 241
How is property purchased and sold?......Page 244
How is property transferred on death?......Page 249
How do people own property collectively?......Page 254
How else can ownership of property be shared?......Page 258
What are the property rights of a landlord and a tenant?......Page 261
When can the government take your property?......Page 264
What is criminal law?......Page 270
Why do we need criminal law?......Page 274
What is a criminal act?......Page 278
Does someone have to mean to commit a crime to be guilty?......Page 281
When is self-defense justified?......Page 285
When are the police justified in using force?......Page 288
In what other circumstances is someone justified in committing a crime?......Page 290
Why are criminals allowed to plead insanity as a defense?......Page 293
What other defenses are available?......Page 299
Can someone be convicted for almost committing a crime?......Page 301
What is homicide?......Page 306
Why is rape law so controversial?......Page 311
What is criminal procedure?......Page 316
Why do we need criminal procedure?......Page 318
What are the steps in the criminal process?......Page 321
When can the police conduct a search and seizure?......Page 324
What is the privilege against self-incrimination?......Page 330
What happens if police violate a defendant’s rights?......Page 334
What is plea bargaining?......Page 337
Why do we have juries?......Page 341
What is the adversary process?......Page 345
How does sentencing work?......Page 348
What about the death penalty?......Page 352
Why does it seem that criminal appeals go on so long?......Page 356
Conclusion......Page 362
Index of Legal Cases......Page 364
Index of Subjects......Page 368
