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.

A good education is one that helps individuals acquire the skills necessary for living an independent and fulfilling life… Because it is their rights and privileges that are fundamentally at stake, it behooves all persons living in the United States to know how to find the law on the Constitution. Completely updated throughout, Researching Constitutional Law is designed for all law-related courses such as administrative law, business law, criminal justice, law and society, legal studies, and paralegal studies. The fourth edition of Researching Constitutional Law includes a new chapter dedicated to writing a legal brief. The chapter contains instructions on why and how to write such documents with a sample legal brief. The NEW fourth edition of Researching Constitutional Law: Explains how to use and attribute research sources aiding the reader in the avoidance of the dangerous pitfall of plagiarism. Presents special attention to computer accessible materials due to the exponential explosion of Internet and subscription electronic services.  Includes a new contributing author, Marc George Pufong, Professor of Political Science at Valdosta State University.  Features a comprehensive bibliography that provides an externship array of books - including a list of new books in the field.

Melone (political science, Southern Illinois U. at Carbondale) and Mace (John A. Logan College, Illinois) approach the debate over judicial review by first considering the Supreme Court's role and function historically. The next two sections contain important and often conflicting writings about judicial review as a usurpation of power and the comp

The Trump presidency alone is a topic of considerable public discussion and debate. Yet, Donald Trump signals much more than the behavior of a single person. He is a symptom and not the sole cause a greater malaise gripping the republic. Albert P. Melone argues that the Trump phenomenon is an instance of the rise of mass society and the decline of pluralist democracy. He points out that yesteryear's Madisonian pluralist paradigm of democracy no longer aptly describes and explains the American political world as it now exists. By substituting the conceptual framework of mass society for the pluralism model, the author points the way to a more powerful and convincing explanation of the Trump phenomenon.