Everything You Need To Know About American Law - 5th Edition

Description

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. 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