Allan Karnes

Firmly anchored in social science concepts, the second edition of The American Legal System demonstrates the relationships among private law, the business legal environment, and public law issues, as well as related subjects of interest. This fifteen-chapter book is divided into three parts. Part I places the legal system in a political perspective centering on the origins of the law, schools of jurisprudence, branches and functions of law, legitimacy of law, how the judiciary functions in the federal system of government, and judicial interpretation and decision making. Part II contrasts legal processes: civil suits for money damages, criminal processes, equity justice, administrative processes, and alternative dispute resolution. Part III centers on the legal norms or rules governing both civil and criminal conduct, property law, family law, contract law, and government regulation of business. Throughout, the text features edited court opinions—many new to this edition—illustrating lively and thought-provoking controversies that are certain to spark student interest. Among the many compelling issues addressed are the legal and constitutional controversies surrounding the Bush Administration's "War on Terror," and the socially explosive developments concerning same-sex marriage. In addition, each chapter includes at least three comparative notes showing how other legal cultures in different nation-states treat legal matters. A wealth of pedagogical features—chapter-opening objectives; key terms, names, and concepts; a glossary, discussion questions, and appendices—are included to aid student comprehension. The authors have prepared an Instructor's Manual and Test Bank to facilitate the book's use in the classroom.

This text is designed to introduce students to both private and public law and to the nature of the judicial system. Anchored in social science concepts, The American Legal System demonstrates the relationships between private law and public law issues, the business legal environment, as well as related subjects of interest. Part I introduces students to terms and concepts necessary for understanding the legal system, the jurisdiction and authority of courts, the organization of courts in the United States, judicial interpretation and decision-making, and the U. S. constitutional system. Part II centers on legal processes--the world of civil and criminal procedure, explained in ordinary language. Subjects include civil suits for money damages; criminal, equity, and administrative processes; and the various modes of alternative dispute resolution. Along the way, students gain a working knowledge of process and procedural rights. Part III provides chapters on the substantive legal topics of criminal law, torts, property, and family law. Part IV treats the law governing the world of business: contracts, business regulation by government, and taxation. All of these substantive law chapters include a section tracing modern substantive law to its common law roots. We also include sections on evolving legal issues including product liability, tort reform, copyright infringement, victimless crimes, youthful offenders, artificial conception of human life, and same-sex marriages. Every chapter features edited court opinions illustrating many lively and interesting controversies that will capture the interest of students regardless of their academic major. At the beginning of each chapter, students will find chapter objectives designed to guide their reading. A glossary of selected legal and Latin terms will also prove useful to the reader, as will the end-of-chapter discussion questions, lists of key names, terms, and concepts, and listings of selected books and articles for further reading. A table of cases as well as name and subject indices provides even greater detail, so that readers may also use the book as a reference. A comprehensive Instructor's Manual/Testing Program (which includes complete lecture outlines, suggested answers to the discussion questions at the end of each chapter, briefs of court opinions, and suggested films for classroom use) is available, either in book or electronic form. A Student Study Guide, written by Bradley Best (Buena Vista University), is also available.