Over the last twenty-five years, there has been a spirited debate in the courts, Congress, and in the academy about how to interpret federal statutes, the laws of Congress. Federal judges spend a considerable amount of time trying to understand Congress's meaning. Just as Congress produces laws, so courts are called on to interpret them. When the language of the statute is unambiguous, then, the job of the judge is generally straightforward. But when-as often happens-the statute is ambiguous, the interpretative task is not obvious. How a judge interprets statutes - sticking only to the text when the language is ambiguous, or going beyond the text to legislative materials - is of fundamental importance. For the methodology of interpretation can affect the outcome and thus whether the law has been construed consistently with Congress's meaning. Justice Scalia has fueled the debate, arguing that courts should look to the text of the statute and to virtually nothing else. In Judging Statutes, Chief Judge Robert A. Katzmann of the U.S Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, respectfully disagrees. Drawing upon his interdisciplinary background in law and political science, he argues that our constitutional system charges Congress with enacting laws; so, how Congress makes its purposes known, through text and reliable accompanying materials should be respected. Judge Katzmann contends that there has been scant consideration given to what is critical as courts interpret statutes - an appreciation of how Congress actually functions and signals its meaning, and what Congress expects of those interpreting its laws. Judging Statutes explores how Congress works; how agencies construe legislation; and examines two interpretative approaches, purposivsm and textualism. The author discusses cases in which he was the writing judge and which the Supreme Court reviewed, and concludes with some suggestions to promote understanding between courts and Congress.

Combines academic rigour with case studies and activities designed to aid learning Suitable for courses both in the UK and internationally, and it uses international examples

This unique reference offers a discussion of the social and legal history behind the ongoing evolution versus creationism controversy. Evolution in the Courtroom: A Reference Guide chronicles the legal history of the evolution/creation debate sparked by Charles Darwin's publication On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859. The first seven chapters provide a detailed historical overview of the debate, reviewing all of the major court cases with particular emphasis on the infamous Scopes "Monkey Trial" which pitted fundamentalist William Jennings Bryan against ACLU defense attorney Clarence Darrow, and became the standard to which all subsequent evolution trails have been compared. Ensuing discussions of the rise and fall of creationism as a science and the failure of "balanced treatment" in public schools culminate in a summary of skirmishes over the last decade. Profiles of scientists, politicians, clergy, and other influential people from Galileo to Frank White, the Arkansas governor who signed the equal time law without ever reading it, reveal fascinating facts and perspectives on both sides of the controversy. Detailed chronology of the history of the debate from Aristotle in 310 B.C. to the U.S. Senate's adoption of "Sense of the Senate" in June 2002 Biographies of 172 key individuals on both sides of the controversy, including Leona Wilson, who initiated the first lawsuit by creationists An edited collection of the eight principal court decisions, including Mclean v. Arkansas and Segraves v. State of California Photographs and illustrations of influential people like Herbert Spencer, who coined the terms "evolution" and "survival of the fittest"

Drug courts offer offenders an intensive court-based treatment program as an alternative to the normal adjudication process. Begun in 1989, they have since spread dramatically throughout the United States. In this interdisciplinary examination of the expanding movement, a distinguished panel of legal practitioners and academics offers theoretical assessments and on-site empirical analyses of the workings of various courts in the United States, along with detailed comparisons and contrasts with related developments in Britain. Practitioners, politicians, and academics alike acknowledge the profound impact drug courts have had on the American criminal justice system. From a range of disciplinary perspectives, contributors to this volume seek to make sense of this important judicial innovation. While addressing a range of questions, Drug Courts also aims to achieve a careful balance between focused empirical studies and broader theoretical analyses of the same phenomenon. The volume maintains an analytical concentration on drug courts and on the important practical, philosophical, and jurisprudential consequences of this unique form of therapeutic jurisprudence.

Drug courts depart from the practices and procedures of typical criminal courts. Prosecutors and defense counsel play much-reduced roles. Often lawyers are not even present during regular drug court sessions. Instead, the main courtroom drama is between the judge and client, both of whom speak openly and freely in the drug court setting. Often accompanying the client is a treatment provider who advises the judge and reviews the client's progress in treatment. Court sessions are characterized by expressive and sometimes tearful testimonies about the recovery process, and are often punctuated with applause from those in attendance. Taken together, the chapters provide a variety of perspectives on drug courts, and extend our knowledge of the birth and evolution of a new movement. Drug Courts is an essential reference for courses in criminology, the sociology of drugs and deviance, and the philosophy of law and punishment.

Lawyer, judge, banker, classics professor, and councilman, Thomas Mellon greatly influenced the fortunes of his hometown, Pittsburgh, throughout the nineteenth century. In the process, he became one of the city's most important business leaders, and he laid the foundation for a family that would contribute considerably to the city's growth and welfare for much of the next hundred years, becoming one of the world's most recognizable names in industry, innovation, and philanthropy. Through his in-depth examination of the extensive Mellon family archives, in "The Judge "James Mellon--a direct descendent of Thomas Mellon--has fashioned an incisive portrait of the elder Mellon that presents the man in full. Offering a singular and insightful characterization of the Scotch-Irish value system that governed the patriarch's work and life, James Mellon captures the judge's complexities and contradictions, revealing him as a truly human figure.

Among the recent biographies of Pittsburgh's famous businessmen, "The Judge" stands apart from the pack because of the author's unique perspective and his objective and scholarly approach to his subject.

A distinguished group of noted criminal justice specialists here examines the impact of the new U.S. sentencing guidelines, imposed in 1987, on law enforcement, the prosecution and courts, and corrections. Although these guidelines were created with the expressed purpose of increasing judicial fairness and reducing prison overcrowding, the contributors argue that their long range effects will be to aggravate present overcrowding problems to intolerably high levels. To make their case, contributors address individually such issues as plea bargaining, the new role of parole and corrections officers, the likely effects of the scheduled abolition of the parole board in 1992, and more. Both students of criminal justice and practicing parole and corrections officers will find these chapters enlightening reading.

Following an introductory overview that puts the U.S. sentencing guidelines in perspective, two chapters discuss their impact on law enforcement, officer discretion, and crime control and deterrence. Turning to an exploration of the courts, the contributors address prosecutorial discretion in plea bargaining, judicial discretion and sentencing disparities, case processing and sentencing alternatives, and how predictions of dangerousness affect the sentencing process. In their analysis of the relationship between the sentencing guidelines and corrections trends, the contributors examine issues such as community-based corrections and privatization, inmate litigation and constitutional issues, and recidivism. Finally, editor Dean Champion offers a perceptive synthesis of the volume by summarizing the serious problems posed by imposition of the U.S. sentencing guidelines. Four appendices provide additional related information for the student and researcher.

Series Information:
Routledge Research in Gender and Society

First published in 1973, Wrongful Imprisonment aims to combine the human interest of individual cases of wrongful imprisonment with a general analysis of how and why they occur. It deals in detail with the English system, but also provides comparisons with Scotland, France, and the United States. The authors spent three years collecting material from newspaper reports, trial transcripts, books, lawyers, the Home Office and - most important - interviews with the persons concerned. As a result, they have been able to analyse objectively the existing system of justice; they have isolated and identified the areas in which the system is at fault, and the successive hazards which may confront the innocent man suspected of a criminal offence; they have also revealed the many obstacles which have to be overcome by the wrongfully imprisoned man seeking to establish his innocence and regain his liberty. This topical and convincingly argued book should appeal not only to students of law and sociology, or to lawyers, policemen, criminals, and others involved in the system of criminal justice, but also to the man in the Wormwood Scrubs omnibus.

In a world governed by speed, where the Internet plays a growing role in many of today's innovations, the resolution of disputes using electronic means of communication may soon be part of everyday legal practice. This book offers solutions to the salient issues of this new field of practice, and even spells out proposed legislative and conventional amendments as well as specific provisions in arbitration rules. Among the topics covered are the following:
- the different methods of ODR;
- fields of use;
- ways to bring parties to online dispute resolution;
- validity and effects of clauses entered into online and providing for online mediation or arbitration;
- issues surrounding electronic communications and evidence in arbitration; and,
- enforcement of online dispute resolution outcomes, both through court proceedings and built-in enforcement mechanisms.

The burgeoning of court litigation and the resulting logjams in the judicial system have spawned new ways for attorneys and their clients to resolve disputes quickly and at a lower cost. Alternative dispute resolution is one important way of doing this. Editors Nagel and Mills, along with their contributors, explore the theory and practice of this technique. They demonstrate how to clarify, understand and develop the various options available under alternative dispute resolution, and how to evaluate the probable outcomes. Among the tools available to facilitate dispute resolution are microcomputer-based, rule-based expert systems and, for specific fields of dispute, decision-aiding software.

The editors delineate several ways in which participants in a dispute win or lose. The most desirable are the super-optimum solutions in which all sides come out ahead of their best expectations. They point out that win-win solutions are not as desirable as would seem at first glance since parties only come out ahead relative to their worst expectations. Subject matter for resolution methods include disputes involving family members, neighborhoods, merchants-consumer, management-labor, legislation and foreign countries. Scholars, lawyers and policy-makers will find this book a valuable resource.

A valuable new reference work for students of the Spanish Empire, this dictionary presents biographies of the 172 men who served on the Council of the Indies--the supreme judicial tribunal for Spain's colonial empire--from the time of Philip V's reforms in 1717 to the French invasion in 1808. Based on the extensive documentation contained in Spanish archives and on various secondary sources, it offers a wealth of historical detail on a period that is important both to Spanish history and to the development of the New World.

This comprehensive publication analyzes numerous aspects of the relationship between judicature and the fair trial principle in a comparative perspective. In addition, it examines the manifestation of some of the most significant elements inherent to the fair trial concept in different legal systems. Along with expansion of judicial power during the past century and with the strengthening of judicial independence, the fair trial requirement has appeared more often, especially in different international agreements and national constitutions, as the summarizing principle of what were formerly constitutional principles pertaining to judicature. Despite its generality and supranational application, the methods of interpreting this clause vary significantly among particular legal systems. This book assumes that the substantive content of this term conveys relevance to the organizational independence of judicial power, the selection of judges, and the mutual relationship between the branches of power. The comparative studies included in this collection offer readers a widespread understanding of the aforementioned correlations and will ultimately contribute to their mastery of the concept of fair trial.

How do ordinary people access justice? This book offers a novel socio-legal approach to access to justice, alternative dispute resolution, vulnerability and energy poverty. It poses an access to justice challenge and rethinks it through a lens that accommodates all affected people, especially those who are currently falling through the system. It raises broader questions about alternative dispute resolution, the need for reform to include more collective approaches, a stronger recognition of the needs of vulnerable people, and a stronger emphasis on delivering social justice. The authors use energy poverty as a site of vulnerability and examine the barriers to justice facing this excluded group. The book assembles the findings of an interdisciplinary research project studying access to justice and its barriers in the UK, Italy, France, Bulgaria and Spain (Catalonia). In-depth interviews with regulators, ombuds, energy companies, third-sector organisations and vulnerable people provide a rich dataset through which to understand the phenomenon. The book provides theoretical and empirical insights which shed new light on these issues and sets out new directions of inquiry for research, policy and practice. It will be of interest to researchers, students and policymakers working on access to justice, consumer vulnerability, energy poverty, and the complex intersection between these fields. The book includes contributions by Cosmo Graham (UK), Sarah Supino and Benedetta Voltaggio (Italy), Marine Cornelis (France), Anais Varo and Enric Bartlett (Catalonia) and Teodora Peneva (Bulgaria).

Against the background of Lord Woolf's interim report "Access to Justice", this text includes accounts of tactical matters and practical litigation "tips", as well as descriptions of the procedures involved. Litigation is often conducted by companies who do not have much practical experience of the processes that might be expected of them. The same applies to others who become involved in litigation without actually having to conduct the procudure as lawyers. This book is intended to give a brief, clear and comprehensive overview of litigation, arbitration and ADR in England. Intended as a comprehensive overview of litigation, arbitration and ADR in England, this guide is aimed at clients and firms who are involved in, or assist cases, who would like to understand the process better in a non-technical way but do not want to see every statement supported by authority.

A comprehensive review of the practical implications of the numerous recent cases on swaps and derivatives.

Step-by-step guide to preparing your dissertation, written by an author with a clear understanding of the needs of law dissertation students Takes a practical approach to planning and preparing your dissertation, including case studies, tips and worked examples to help you apply your skills to best effect in your dissertation Chapter on researching your dissertation includes a dedicated section on online research skills helping you to locate only the most reliable and authoritative of sources Explains different theoretical approaches to legal research with in-chapter activities to help you put the theory into practice. Includes a chapter on navigating supervision helping you to feel supported during your dissertation. Ideal accompaniment for students who are perhaps having fewer contact hours in the years to come. New edition includes material to help support those undertaking postgraduate research as well. Covers non-traditional as well as traditional dissertation formats, for example work experience or audio projects.

This book focuses on the decision of the Tribunal in the South China Sea Arbitration that China had operated its law enforcement vessels in ways that created risks of collision with Philippine official vessels at Scarborough Shoal in April and May 2012. The book explains the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS) and the incidents in layperson's terms. It analyzes China's violations of the COLREGS on the basis of confidential Philippine documents declassified for the Arbitration, technical works by professional mariners, and the reports submitted by the navigational safety experts to the Tribunal. It pays attention to Chinese post-arbitration critiques of the Tribunal 's decision, which it characterizes as rationalizations of collisions as instruments of Chinese foreign policy. It contrasts China's conduct with the practice of the US and Western European States, which mandate compliance with collision regulations even during law enforcement operations. The book draws on sources in five languages (English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish), and helps the reader understand the pattern of China's harassment of vessels from littoral and non-littoral States in the South China Sea as well as the absence of legal foundations for China's rationalizations of its behavior.

The book explores the WIPO journey so far and looks at how relevant the treaties are in contemporary world after 25 years of their existence. It revisits the WIPO Diplomatic Conference, narrates briefly how the Internet Treaties came into being, describes all the developments germane to the Internet Treaties over the last twenty-five years and examines at length how well these treaties withstood the creative gales of destruction having a bearing on the production, distribution and consumption of digital content. The retrospective consists of two parts. The first part looks back at the conference, its course of events, its negotiation dynamics, the doctrinal differences and sharply conflicting economic interests underlying the stands taken by the main parties to negotiations and the national and transnational interest groups that sought to influence the negotiation process and outcomes. The second part reflects on the outcomes and assesses with the wisdom of hindsight, how appropriate the outcomes were and how well they withstood the passage of time. This second aspect is the main focus of this book. The retrospective is limited to the digital agenda of DipCon; but for the digital agenda, the DipCon is convened so soon and the Internet Treaties concluded so fast. The book provides rich material for researchers studying the WIPO journey and also the practitioners by throwing light on discussions that led to a treaty that has in general withstood the trials of time.

This book is about law, but it is not a law book. It is aimed at all interested contemporaries, lawyers and non-lawyers alike. Richly seasoned with personal memories and anecdotes, it offers unique insights into how European courts actually work. It is generally assumed that independence is part and parcel of the role and function of a judge. Nevertheless, European judges sometimes face difficulties in this regard. Owing to their being nominated by a government, their limited term of appointment, and the possibility of being reappointed or not, their judicial independence can be jeopardized. Certain governments have a track record of choosing candidates who they believe they can keep on a leash. When this happens, private parties are at risk of losing out. The EFTA Court is under even more pressure, since the EEA/EFTA states Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway essentially constitute a pond with one big fish (Norway) and two minnows. For quite some time now, certain Norwegian protagonists have sought to effectively transform the EEA into a bilateral agreement with the EU. This attitude has led to political implications that have affected the author himself. The independence of the EFTA Court is also endangered by the fact that it operates alongside a large sister court, the Court of Justice of the European Union. And yet the EFTA Court has established its own line of jurisprudence and its own judicial style. It has remained faithful to specific EFTA values, such as the belief in free trade and open markets, efficiency, and a modern view of mankind. During the first 24 years of its existence, it has even had an over-proportionate influence on ECJ case law. Since EEA Single Market law is economic law, the importance of economics, an often-overlooked aspect, is also addressed. In closing, the book explores Switzerland's complicated relationship with, and Britain's impending departure from, the EU. In this regard, it argues that the EFTA pillar should be expanded into a second European structure under British leadership and with Swiss participation.

A fresh and provocative perspective on the judicial process and the transmission of ideas into law. Professors McIntosh and Cates demonstrate, through the actions and writings of such diverse jurists as Louis Brandeis, Sandra Day O'Connor, Jerome Frank, and Hans Linde, how judges' pet intellectual projects become the fodder for new ideas in the law.

Through a series of case studies, Professors McIntosh and Cates argue for the assessment of judicial activity from a fresh perspective. They focus on the appellate system and those judges who help to move the law-i.e., entrepreneurs. Appeals court judges are in a unique position in that they are presented with real opportunities to influence the shape and meaning of law.

Jurists have special interests, some areas of the law that particularly attract them. When questions arise in these fields, jurists are likely to seize the moment, allowing them to express their expertise and be creative. This is not only a natural course for highly motivated individuals, but also a mode of operation that is important to the development of our law. Through an examination of the actions and writings of such diverse jurists as Louis Brandeis, Sandra Day O'Connor, Jerome Frank, and Hans Linde, the authors explore this concept of entrepreneurship, in which judges take on and promote their pet projects. Of great interest to scholars and researchers in political science and law, and those concerned with judicial process and behavior, and court policymaking.

This revised text provides a practical guide to the law relating to all aspects of costs in arbitration proceedings. The Arbitration Act 1996, has made significant changes to the law on arbitration costs. These have, among other things, made arbitrators responsible for the cost-effective management of cases, and given them new powers to help them achieve this. In its second edition, "Costs in Arbitration Proceedings" has been updated to include sections on: agreements as to costs; the arbitrator's power to limit costs; and forms and precedents. It sets out the law of costs for the parties and of the parties, the arbitrators' fees, taxation of costs, and security for costs, costs implications of offers of settlement and application to the court in repect of costs. It is suitable for professional arbitration lawyers and also for the new or lay arbitrator.

USE THIS FIRST PARAGRAPH ONLY FOR GENERAL CATALOGS... The First Amendment right of free speech is a fragile one. Its fragility is found no less in legal opinions than in other, less specialized forms of public discourse. Both its fragility and its sometimes surprising resiliency are reflected in this book. It provides an examination of how the U.S. Supreme Court has dealt with the problem of restrictions on media coverage of the criminal justice system, as well as how lower courts have interpreted the law created by the Supreme Court. The author explores the degree to which the Court has created a coherent body of law that protects free expression values while permitting reasonable government regulation, and examines the Supreme Court's jurisprudence concerning prior restraints, post-publication sanctions on the press, and their right of access to criminal proceedings.
This is a study of the evolution of constitutional doctrine -- particularly when transported from the rarefied air of the Supreme Court to lower court judges who may not share the values of the jurists above them in the judicial hierarchy. The book's greatest strength lies in its thorough analysis and critique of how judges apply First Amendment doctrine to the complex problem of providing for both a "free press" and "fair trials." Much of the available literature on this topic focuses on legal doctrine, but with attention to the legal rules that emerge from the courts, rather than examining and critiquing the judicial techniques that "produce" those rules. Moreover, although a significant body of scholarship has explored Supreme Court doctrine, this work is one of the few that trace the influence of those doctrines through lower federal court decisions. The hope is to produce a reasonably accurate -- if partial -- picture of how intermediate appellate and trial courts use U.S. Supreme Court doctrine to decide First Amendment cases.
Note: This book is necessarily influenced by the 'round-the-clock' press coverage of the recent O.J. Simpson trial. Although the Simpson case did not make new law, the trial and its outcome seem to be -- at this writing -- an inescapable part of how many people think about these issues. The simple truth, however, is that the Simpson case was an anomaly that has little relation to the everyday concerns of media coverage of the criminal justice system. While the venerable "parade of horribles" can be an effective strategy for the legal advocate, it is not always the ideal way to address larger concerns, particularly when fundamental rights are at stake.