Following on the success of Tough Cases, called “A law buff’s dream” by headbutler.com, Challenging Cases collects judges’ firsthand stories of deciding cases when the world is watchingMost cases judges decide garner little public attention. But occasionally, a case is tried both in the courtroom and in the court of public opinion. In Challenging Cases, some of the country’s leading jurists talk about the most high-profile cases they’ve h...

" Tough Cases stands out as a genuine revelation. . . . Our most distinguished judges should follow the lead of this groundbreaking volume."—Justin Driver, The Washington PostA rare and illuminating view of how judges decide dramatic legal cases— Law and Order from behind the bench—including the Elián González, Terri Schiavo, and Scooter Libby casesProsecutors and defense attorneys have it easy—all they have to do is to pres...

Many thought the election of our first African American president put an end to the conversation about race in this country, and that America had moved into a post–racial era of equality and opportunity. Then, on the night of February 26, 2012, a black seventeen–year–old boy walking to a friend's home carrying only his cell phone, candy, and a fruit drink, was shot and killed by a neighborhood watch coordinator.And in July 2013, the trial of Zimmerman for murder captivated the publ...

Can the police strip-search a woman who has been arrested for a minor traffic violation? Can a magazine publish an embarrassing photo of you without your permission? Does your boss have the right to read your email? Can a company monitor its employees' off-the-job lifestyles--and fire those who drink, smoke, or live with a partner of the same sex? Although the word privacy does not appear in the Constitution, most of us believe that we have an inalienable right to be left alone. Yet in are...

Radical ideas for changing the justice system, rooted in the real-life experiences of those in overpoliced communities, from the acclaimed former federal prosecutor and author of ChokeholdPaul Butler was an ambitious federal prosecutor, a Harvard Law grad who gave up his corporate law salary to fight the good fight—until one day he was arrested on the street and charged with a crime he didn't commit.In a book Harvard Law professor Charles Ogletree ...

Every day, trials impact the lives of untold numbers of citizens. But the public has only popular images and urban myths to give it an idea of what goes on in a trial. There has been no handy, easy-to-read reference book that explains trial strategy, tactics and the process to non-lawyers — until now. See You In Court fills this void.If there is a courtroom in your future or you are writing about one and would like to know what lawyers know about the process, "See You In Court will...

In Her Honor, Judge LaDoris Hazzard Cordell provides a rare and thought-provoking insider account of our legal system, sharing vivid stories of the cases that came through her courtroom and revealing the strengths, flaws, and much-needed changes within our courts.Judge Cordell, the first African American woman to sit on the Superior Court of Northern California, knows firsthand how prejudice has permeated our legal system. And yet, she believes in the syst...

From a prominent criminal law professor, a provocative and timely exploration of how plea bargaining prevents true criminal justice reform and how we can fix it—now in paperbackWhen Americans think of the criminal justice system, the image that comes to mind is a trial-a standard courtroom scene with a defendant, attorneys, a judge, and most important, a jury. It's a fair assumption. The right to a trial by jury is enshrined in both the body of the Constitution and...

A groundbreaking exposé of how our legal system makes it nearly impossible to overturn wrongful convictionsThousands of innocent people are behind bars in the United States. But proving their innocence and winning their release is nearly impossible.In Barred, legal scholar Daniel S. Medwed argues that our justice system’s stringent procedural rules are largely to blame for the ongoing punishment of the innocent. Those rules guarantee criminal defen...

**“Tough Cases stands out as a genuine revelation. . . . Our most distinguished judges should follow the lead of this groundbreaking volume.”—Justin Driver, The Washington PostA rare and illuminating view of how judges decide dramatic legal cases—Law and Order from behind the bench—including the Elián González, Terri Schiavo, and Scooter Libby cases**Prosecutors and defense attorneys have it easy—all they have to do is to present the eviden...

A blistering critique of America’s assembly-line approach to criminal justice and the shameful practice at its core: the plea bargainMost Americans believe that the jury trial is the backbone of our criminal justice system. But in fact, the vast majority of cases never make it to trial: almost all criminal convictions are the result of a plea bargain, a deal made entirely out of the public eye.Law professor and civil rights lawyer Dan Canon argues that plea...

Former prosecutor Jeanine Pirro's To Punish and Protect challenges us to have the will and the courage to wage war on the predators roaming our streets, and to avenge their victims."The office of the district attorney is a battleground, where the fight between good and evil unfolds each day. We see the ugliest side of life, the pain that people go through for no reason. They didn't do anything. They didn't ask for it. Yet here they are, living their per...