Product Description

The law school casebook provides detailed information on federal courts. This edition includes a reworked chapter involving state sovereign immunity and the Eleventh Amendment, as is the chapter dealing with habeas corpus. All chapters in the book contain revisions to the cases from previous editions. The selected cases designed to illustrate the development of a body of law on a particular subject. Text and explanatory materials designed for law study accompany the cases.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #673172 in Books
• Published on: 2003-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 1638 pages

Customer Reviews

I thought this book was great
While I agree with the below readers about the over-usage of footnotes, I believe the notes are necessary, as the federal courts system has changed dramatically since the first edition was published.

I loved the course, and therefore loved the book. I think the two must go hand-in-hand. It gives a somewhat concise history of the beginnings of our federalist system complete with checks and balances, separation of powers, usage of legislative and executive courts. I found the historical context inspiring. To compare the intellectual abilities of American politicians of 200 years ago with the politicians today, you are left with your jaw on the ground asking "what happened?"

I think this book can give a practitioner a roadmap on how to find your way around the federal court system (you learn to plead out of a complaint for lack of jurisdiction for lack of standing due to mootness, ripeness, political question, etc) and gives you an in depth look at various niche practice areas which are bulging with activity nowadays. (Executive and State Judicial Habeas Corpus...the most interesting section if you ask me...unfortunately you'll have to buy the supplement for the bulk of the issue, but the history is fascinating.)

Federal Courts is a near unwieldy course, but it is fascinating just like this 1300+ page book. Whether you like this book depends on whether you like the topic.

Well . . .
Well, Judge Posner calls this (in its first edition) the greatest casebook, and surely it is that.

Hard class, horrible book
Federal Courts and Federal Jurisdiction is generally recognized as the hardest course in law school. After surviving the course myself, I can attest to this fact. Unfortunately, my course used this text which was useless in imparting an understanding of the material, and in fact did more to confuse my peers and me than anything else. Learning this material is already difficult enough, so it is extremely unhelpful when your text makes the subject even more mystifying.

The biggest problem with this book was the utter lack of organization and its ocean of endnotes following the selected cases. The thousands of cases and articles discussed in the endnotes made organizing the material for review impossible.

The editors of this text would do well to get rid of many of the confusing endnotes in each section. They should organize them more concisely, and do all law students a favor and just entirely delete sections and discussions of law review articles. Let's be honest: law students might be generally intellectual, and possess a thirst for knowledge, but NO ONE reads the parts of a casebook that reproduce unreadable, painfully boring law review articles. Do us all a favor and stop including them.

For those students crazy enough to take fed courts -- probably to learn the ropes for a US District Court clerkship -- and get stuck with this book, you would do well to let this book collect dust in your locker or on your floor, and buy Erwin Chemerinsky's hornbook. It is an excellent resource for learning this difficult subject. It's concise, and much easier to read than this brutal casebook.