Historic U.S. Court Cases, 1690-1990: An Encyclopedia

by John W. Johnson (Editor)

Written in plain language, for students of history and interested laypersons as well as lawyers and academic legal specialists, this compendium of essays on landmark court cases presents a chronicle of the US from the perspective of legal history. The 171 essays, written by 80 contributors including lawyers, political scientists, and historians, portray the antagonists, the issues, and the inherent drama of historic cases and explain their importance in the development of the American judicial system. The essays run from about 1,000 to 5,000 words, depending on the importance of the case, and each essay concludes with a selected bibliography. Includes an index of decisions as well as a subject index. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

Genres: History

754 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1992

Reviews

[teohjitkhiam · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is gratifying that this book reads more like a history book rather than legal textbook, and that many of the contributors took steps to restate some of the judges' legal analyses into a language that is accessible to a layperson not steeped in the legalese. As a non-U.S. reader, I find this book revealed to me a large part of U.S. history that does not revolve around the generally more popular historical topics e.g. their Revolutionary & Civil Wars, and Civil Rights Movement.

[David Vanness · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historic U.S. Court Cases 1690-1990: An Encyclopedia (American Law and Society Series)
Published February 1st 1992 by Taylor & Francis
Hardcover, 754 pages. This is the copy I own. Am reading a random case at a time, and enjoying them. Today read one on 'Memoirs Of A Woman Of Pleasurer' by John Cleland, circa 1750. Could not find it at Library of Congress.