The Oxford Companion to American Law

by Kermit L. Hall (Editor), David S. Clark (Editor), James W. Ely (Editor)

A landmark in legal publishing, The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court is a now classic text many of whose entries are regularly cited by scholars as the definitive statement on any particular subject. In the tradition of that work, editor in chief Kermit L. Hall offers up The Oxford Companion to American Law, a one-volume, A-Z encyclopedia that covers topics ranging from aging and the law, wiretapping and electronic eavesdropping, the Salem Witch Trials and Plessy vs. Ferguson.
The Companion takes as its starting point the insight that law is embedded in society, and that to understand American law one must necessarily ask questions about the relationship between it and the social order, now and in the past. The volume assumes that American law, in all its richness and complexity, cannot be understood in isolation, as simply the business of the Supreme Court, or as a list of common law doctrines. Hence, the volume takes seriously issues involving laws role in structuring decisions about governance, the significance of state and local law and legal institutions, and the place of American law in a comparative international perspective. Nearly 500 entries are included, written by over 300 expert contributors.
Intended for the working lawyer or judge, the high school student working on a term paper, or the general adult reader interested in the topic, the Companion is the authoritative reference work on the subject of American law.

Genres: Law, Reference

944 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Kermit Lance Hall was a noted legal historian who served as president of Utah State University from 2000 to 2005, and president of the at University at Albany from 2005 until his sudden death from a heart attack in 2006.

Reviews

[Mathias · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I have not read all of it, I feel like it would hardly be possible to do so. This book is an encyclopedia of American Law. Arranged alphabetically it runs through history and present situations on Law and Order. This book is a miracle to law; it contains all that is needed to understand the government and court’s position on every issue raised in the United States. For me this was an exciting experience. I wish that I have time to read it all but I like to just flip through a topic and read about it. It provides information on all Supreme Court cases that had enough significance to make it in the book and meticulously describes causes effects and in-court occurrences. Using many references it provides arguments for all sides of the story and gives you great view on the American Law system. It also provides mini biographies on important Law figures. I am glad to know that if I have any doubt on a judicial issue I can look to it for help. I wish that I could carry it around with me everywhere, but my splendid pocket constitution will have to do for now.