Introduction to the US Legal System: European Perspective - JMM016

• Title: Introduction to the US Legal System: European Perspective
• Guaranteed by: Department of North American Studies (23-KAS)
• Faculty: Faculty of Social Sciences
• Actual: from 2012 to 2014
• Semester: summer
• E-Credits: 6
• Examination process: summer s.:
• Hours per week, examination: summer s.:1/1, Ex [HT]
• Capacity: 30 / unknown (30)
• Min. number of students: unlimited
• 4EU+: no
• Virtual mobility / capacity: no
• State of the course: taught
• Language: English
• Teaching methods: full-time
• Teaching methods: full-time
• Additional information: http://instituty.fsv.cuni.cz/~kozak/
• Note: course can be enrolled in outside the study plan; enabled for web enrollment; priority enrollment if the course is part of the study plan
• Guarantor: PhDr. Mgr. Kryštof Přemysl Kozák, Ph.D.
• Teacher(s): PhDr. Mgr. Kryštof Přemysl Kozák, Ph.D.

Annotation

English

Last update: KOZAK (09.04.2008)

The course will introduce the students to the U.S. legal system, demonstrating main similarities as well as differences from the European continental law. Role of law in U.S. society as well as various current topics and debates about the U.S. legal system will be covered. First part of the course will focus more on history and development of U.S. law, the second part will deal with specific areas of contemporary law.

Czech

Last update: KOZAK (09.04.2008)

Tento kurz studenty seznámí s historickými a teoretickými základy amerického právního systému, jeho současným fungováním a vybranými aktuálními problémy. První část se věnuje vzniku a historickému vývoji amerického práva, druhá část pak aktuálním problémům v jednotlivých právních odvětvích.

Aim of the course

English

Last update: KOZAK (09.04.2008)

The objective of this course is to introduce the students to the U.S. legal system, demonstrating main similarities as well as differences from the European continental law. Role of law in U.S. society as well as various current topics and debates about the U.S. legal system will be covered. First part of the course will focus more on history and development of U.S. law, the second part will deal with specific areas of contemporary law.

Czech

Last update: KOZAK (09.04.2008)

Tento kurz má za cíl seznámit studenty s historickými a teoretickými základy amerického právního systému, jeho současným fungováním a vybranými aktuálními problémy. První část se věnuje vzniku a historickému vývoji amerického práva, druhá část pak aktuálním problémům v jednotlivých právních odvětvích.

Literature

English

Last update: KOZAK (09.04.2008)

See required reading for each class in the syllabus.

Czech

Last update: KOZAK (09.04.2008)

Viz. povinná četba ke každé hodině v sylabu.

Teaching methods

English

Last update: KOZAK (09.04.2008)

Brief introduction, discussion of the required reading, student presentation, final summary of the class.

Czech

Last update: KOZAK (09.04.2008)

Krátký úvod do problému, diskuse nad zadaným textem, prezentace studentů, závěrečné shrnutí hodiny.

Requirements to the exam

English

Last update: KOZAK (23.02.2010)

For detailed course requirements, see the syllabus.

Czech

Last update: KOZAK (23.02.2010)

Kurz je vyučován v angličtině, aktivní účast, prezentace, závěrečný písemný test, podrobnosti viz. sylabus.

Syllabus

English

Last update: PhDr. Mgr. Kryštof Přemysl Kozák, Ph.D. (20.02.2018)

Form: 1/1 (lecture/seminar)

Instructor: Kryštof Kozák

Email: [e-mail]

Consultation hours SS2018: Tuesdays, 10:30-12:00, J3080

Final exam dates: TBA

Due date for written assignments: June 10, 2018. It is sufficient to send essays via email to [e-mail]. Each day of delay means 1% less in the overall grade.

 

List of legal terms for the final exam is available in the SIS system.

Full Powerpoint presentations on federal courts, state courts and the judges, some will be used in the class: 

http://people.uncw.edu/meinholds/lawcourtsandpolitics/

Source: David W. Neubauer, Stephen S. Meinhold: Law, Courts and Politics in the United States, 4th edition.

 

Course description:

 

The course will introduce the students to the U.S. legal system from a European perspective. Role of law in U.S. society as well as various current issues concerning the U.S. legal system will be discussed. First part of the course will focus more on history and development of U.S. law, the second part will cover specific areas of contemporary law. No previous experience with legal studies necessary for enrollment, the emphasis of the course will be on social and political consequences of legal norms.

 

Course requirements:

 

1. Active participation, including thorough preparation for each class - 10 %

Students will be required to read and discussed assigned texts. The texts are available online or in the SIS system. Students are expected to check the availability of the text in advance and notify the instructor of any problems with access. If a student has more than two absences, he is required to write a critical analysis of readings (min. 3500 characters with spaces) for each additional missed class.

 

2. Newsletter - 10 %

Each student will once per semester send one interesting as well as relevant newspaper or magazine article about a legal issue in United States to the rest of the class by Sunday, 23:59. before the Tuesday class (mailing list will be provided). He/she should provide two insightful analytical questions related to the article. All students are supposed to read it and be prepared to discuss the questions provided. The student who sent the article should be ready to explain why did he select it and what are the main legal issues behind it.

 

3. Written assignment - 40 %

Minimum 9000 characters including spaces. Provide simple references when applicable. 

Option A: 

Written report based on the recent Supreme Court ruling. The report should contain introduction on the factual and legal merits of the case, arguments of both sides, the decision and supporting arguments and precedents. 

Option B: Book review

Instead, you may choose any book on the course Bibliography or in our Library relevant the course (those books that do not appear on the course Bibliography should be submitted for our approval) and write a book review of 5 pages minimum (9000 characters with spaces). For the purposes of this assignment, a book will be defined as several chapters in a book (usually the introduction, conclusion, and at least two from the middle). A book review is not the same thing as a book report, which simply summarizes the content of a book. When writing a book review, you not only report on the content of the book but also assess its strengths and weaknesses. Though there is no "correct" way to structure a review, the following is one possible approach.

Summarize the book and relate the author's main point, or thesis. What are the questions that the book tries to answer? (Somewhere early in the paper, identify the author briefly.) Describe the author's viewpoint and purpose for writing; note any aspects of the author's background that are important for understanding the book. Note the most important evidence the author presents to support his or her thesis. Evaluate the author's use of evidence, and describe how he or she deals with counter evidence. Is the book's argument convincing? If so why, if not, why not. Cite examples from the text. Compare this book with other books or articles you have read on the same subject. Conclude with a final evaluation of the book. You might discuss who would find this book useful and why. (This text and more tips for how to write book reviews are available at http://courses.washington.edu/tande/book_reviews.htm).

Option C:

Law review essay

Select any article from the Harvard Law Review or a similar respected high-profile academic journal. Write a report about the article. You should introduce the article in the first half and provide a critical assessment of its main arguments in the second half (min. length 5 pages, 9000 characters including spaces).

 

4. Final exam - 40%

In the first part, students will have to provide definitions for basic terms and concepts including mandatory Supreme Court cases, the second part will contain questions focusing on the assigned readings and the last part will contain an essay question requiring longer response based on thorough understanding of the course materials.

 

Course program:

 

1. Introduction (20.2.)

What is a legal system? Legal norms and everyday life, common law vs. civil law, natural law vs. positive law. Specifics of the U.S. system

 

2. U.S. Constitution from legal, economic and political perspective (27.2.)

 

a) Declaration of Independence

http://www.law.indiana.edu/uslawdocs/declaration.html

 

b) U.S. Constitution

http://www.constitution.org/constit_.htm

 

c) Constitutional Amendments I-XXVII

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/billrights.html

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/amendments.html

 

d) Charles A. Beard: An Economic Interpretation of The Constitution of The United States, MacMillan, New York, 1913

(pages 9-17 and 165 of the Word document are mandatory, the rest is recommended)

 

Mandatory cases: Salem Witchcraft Trials

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/salem.htm

John Peter Zenger Trial

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/zenger/zenger.html

Marbury vs. Madison

http://writ.news.findlaw.com/commentary/20030224_grossman.html

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/marbury.html

McCulloch vs. State of Maryland

http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0017_0316_ZS.html

http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0017_0316_ZO.html

 

Newsletter: 

 

6.3. No class! Students are encouraged to see at least one documentary movie at the One World film festival related to United States, think about the underlying legal issues and present it at the beginning of the next class.

 

3. Law and economics in historical context, 19th century (13.3.)

a) Lawrence M. Friedman, Law in America, pp. 37-57, downloadable file (.pdf).

 

b) Oliver W. Holmes, Path of the Law (Harvard Law Review, 1897)

http://www.constitution.org/lrev/owh/path_law.htm

 

 

Newsletter: 

 

Mandatory cases:

Dredd Scott vs. Sandford

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dred_Scott_v._Sandford

Lochner vs. New York

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lochner_v._New_York

Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey v. United States

http://www.justia.us/us/221/1/case.html

http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0221_0001_ZO.html

 

4. Law and politics in historical context II., 20th century (20.3.)

 

a) Lawrence M. Friedman, Law in America, pp. 124-158 , downloadable file (.pdf).

 

Newsletter:

 

Mandatory cases:

Abrams vs. United States

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abrams_v._United_States

 

 

 

 

5. Justice (27.3.)

Reading: Michal Sandel: Justice. What is the Right Thing to Do? Farrar, Straus, Giroux, New York, 2010. (selected chapter in SIS).

 

Look at least one lecture by Michael Sandel at Harvard:

http://www.justiceharvard.org/

 

Ronald Dworkin: The Case against Color-Blind Admissions, The New York Review of Books, December 20, 2012, available here: 

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2012/dec/20/case-against-color-blind-admissions/

 

Newsletter: 

 

Mandatory cases: 

Grutter vs. Bollinger

 

6. Role of the Supreme Court in contemporary politics (3.4.)

Jeffrey Toobin: The Nine (excerpt), downloadable file (.pdf).

Ronald Dworkin, The Court’s Embarrassingly Bad Decisions, May 26, 2011, New York Review of Books (.pdf) in SIS.

 Jon Wiener: Justice Stephen Breyer: Supreme Court is 'Not Political', The Nation, September 18, 2010.

http://www.thenation.com/blog/154808/justice-stephen-breyer-supreme-court-not-political

 

Recommended reading: 

I Dissent : Great Opposing Opinions in Landmark Supreme Court Cases
Tushnet, Mark

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10256084&adv.x=1&p00=k1&f00=lccn&p00_upper=kzd5681&p01=%22United+States%22&f01=subject

Chapter 16 :"Do not believe it."

 

Mandatory case: 

Bush v. Gore

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bush_v._Gore

Plessy vs. Fergusson together with Brown vs. Board of Education in Topeka

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plessy_v._Ferguson

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_v._Board_of_Education

Tennessee vs. John Scopes (Monkey Trial)

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/scopes/scopes.htm

 

7. The Constitution, U.S. Code and precedents (10.4.)

 

Congress Shall Make No Law : The First Amendment, Unprotected Speech, and the Supreme Court

O'Brien, David M.

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10483523&adv.x=1&p00=k1&f00=lccn&p00_upper=kzd5681&p01=%22United+States%22&f01=subject

1. When ‘‘No Law’’ Doesn’t Mean ‘‘No Law’’

6. Conclusion

 

It's Obama vs. the Supreme Court, Round 2, over campaign finance ruling, Robert Barnes and Anne E. Kornblut, Washington Post Staff Writer, Thursday, March 11, 2010

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/09/AR2010030903040.html

Howard Zinn: Don't Despair about the Supreme Court, The Progressive, November 13, 2005, available at:
http://www.progressive.org/mag_zinn1105

 

Recommended:

When Courts and Congress Collide : The Struggle for Control of America's Judicial System 

Geyh, Charles Gardner

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10362203&adv.x=1&p00=k1&f00=lccn&p00_upper=kzd5681&p01=%22United+States%22&f01=subject

Introduction (p. 1-21)

It would also be very useful for you to briefly browse through the profiles of individual Supreme Court Justices at www.oyez.org

Extensive video Conversation with Robert Bork is available at:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4712759829958253746

Look at least on some part of it to get a better understanding of Robert Bork's persona.

Blog dedicated to U.S. Supreme Court

http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/

Official video introducing the Supreme Court, the music is horrible, but has good background visuals:

http://www.oyez.org/media/scotus_video1

Linda Greenhouse, In Steps Big and Small, Supreme Court Moved Right, The New York Times, July 1, 2007.

greenhouse-big-small.doc

 

Mandatory case:

United States v. Nixon

http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/search/display.html?terms=Nixon&url=/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0418_0683_ZO.html

Burwell v. Hobby Lobby

 

Newsletter:

 

 

 

8. Selected issues in contemporary criminal law (24.4.)

Required readings:

Class, Race, Gender, and Crime : The Social Realities of Justice in America
Flavin, Jeanne and Barak, Gregg

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10404851&adv.x=1&p00=Flavin%2C+Jeanne+Barak%2C+Gregg&f00=author

Introduction: Crime, Inequality, and Justice

Conclusion: Crime, Justice, and Policy

 

 

William A. Galston and Elizabeth H. McElvein: Framing the debate on criminal justice reform: What citizens and policymakers should know, Brookings, 2016

http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/reports/2016/03/16-criminal-justice-reform-debate-galston-mcelvein/criminal-justice-statistics.pdf

 

 

Recommended:

Stephanos Bibas: The Truth about Mass Incarceration, The National Review, September 21, 2015. http://www.nationalreview.com/article/424059/mass-incarceration-prison-reform

 

Marc Mauer and Kate Epstein, To Build a Better Criminal Justice System. The Sentencing Project, 2012.

http://sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/sen_25_eassys.pdf

 

Federal Justice Statistics, 2009. Department of Justice

http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/fjs09.pdf

 

Smart on Crime. Recommendations for the Next Administration and Congress.

http://2009transition.org/criminaljustice/

Read through pages 10-27 of the .pdf file on the website, then pick one of the issues in the rest of the document and be prepared to introduce it to the class (2 minutes).

 

Recommended Resources: 

FBI Uniform Crime Report: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/ucr

Basic data and charts (check the underlying sources of data):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_the_United_States

 

 

Newsletter: 

 

Recommended background readings:

U.S. Code:

http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/

Title 18: Crimes and Criminal Procedure

http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode18/usc_sup_01_18.html

Homicide:

http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode18/usc_sup_01_18_10_I_20_51.html

Torture:

http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode18/usc_sup_01_18_10_I_20_113C.html

Barry Schenck, Peter Neufeldt: Actual Innocence, Signet Books, 2001

Part I.

Part II.

Cells or Classrooms, Justice Policy Institute (.pdf)

Drug Facts - Race, Prison and the Drug Laws (.pdf)

http://people.uncw.edu/meinholds/lawcourtsandpolitics/

This page includes links to Powerpoint presentations on Federal Courts and State Courts.

Official Prison Statistics (.pdf)

Official Black Victims Statistics (.pdf)

 

Mandatory cases:

Miranda vs. Arizona

http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/search/display.html?terms=Miranda&url=/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0384_0436_ZO.html

O.J. Simpson Trial

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/Simpson/simpson.htm

 

1.5. Celebration of Work

 

Homework: Watch either Twelve Angry Men, Few Good Men, Devil´s Advocate, Legally Blonde, Erin Brokovitch or any other feature film where the focus is primarily on the law. Be prepared to analyze it briefly from legal perspective for the final exam. 

 

 

8.5.  Victory Day (1945)

Think about how the legal system would look like had the Nazis won the War. What would have been the biggest difference? Be prepared to provide a short but thoughtful answer in the final exam.

 

10. Selected issues in contemporary civil law (15.5.)

 

Tort reform background:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tort_reform#United_States

 

Tort reform proposal:

Executive Office of the President, Council of Economic Advisers. 2004. Economic Report of the President 2004. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. Available at

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/ERP-2004/pdf/ERP-2004.pdf

Chapter 11 Tort System, pages 201-220.

 

Lawyer´s perspective:

http://www.justinian.us/2004/03/what-is-tort-reform-and-why-is-it-bad-for-the-public.html 

 

Key case: BMW v. Gore

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_of_North_America,_Inc._v._Gore

 

Newsletter: 

 

 

Recommended:

 

Center for Legal Policy: Trial Lawyers, Inc.

http://www.manhattan-institute.org/pdf/triallawyersinc.pdf

'Silent Tort Reform' Is Overriding States' Powers, New York Times, March 10, 2006

http://instituty.fsv.cuni.cz/~kozak/NYT-tort-reform.doc

Vote in House Offers a Shield In Obesity Suits, New York Times, March 11, 2004

http://instituty.fsv.cuni.cz/~kozak/NYT-obesity-bill.doc

American Tort Reform Association: Judicial Hellholes, 2007

http://www.atra.org/reports/hellholes/report.pdf

American Association for Justice (formerly Association of Trial Lawyers of America)

http://www.justice.org/pressroom/PressReleases/2007/dec18.aspx

Towers, Perrin, Tillinghast: Tort cost 2004

http://www.towersperrin.com/tillinghast/publications/reports/Tort_2004/Tort.pdf

Economic Policy Institute: Frivolous Tort Reform

http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/bp157

Center for Legal Policy: Trial Lawyers, Inc.

http://www.triallawyersinc.com/TLI-HealthCare.pdf

 

Mandatory cases:

Liebeck v. McDonald's Restaurants

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liebeck_v._McDonald%27s_Restaurants

Roe vs. Wade společně s Planned Parenthood v. Casey

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_vs._Wade

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_Parenthood_v._Casey

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regents_of_the_University_of_California_v._Bakke

 

 

 

 

  

11. International vs. domestic law (15.5.)

Mandatory readings: 

Simon Lester: Liberalization or Litigation?, Time to Rethink the International Investment Regime, available at:

http://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/pa730_web.pdf

 

Resolution on Investor-State Dispute Resolution in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, available at:

http://www.consumersinternational.org/media/1398522/tacd-ttip-resolution-on-investor-state-dispute-resolution.pdf

 

Table of foreign investor-state cases and Claims under NAFTA and other U.S. "trade" deals: 

http://www.citizen.org/documents/investor-state-chart1.pdf

 

Elisabeth Warren: The Trans-Pacific Partnership clause everyone should oppose, February 25, 2015

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/kill-the-dispute-settlement-language-in-the-trans-pacific-partnership/2015/02/25/ec7705a2-bd1e-11e4-b274-e5209a3bc9a9_story.html

 

 

Recommended readings: 

List of investor-state disputes by Public Citizen:

http://www.citizen.org/documents/investor-state-chart1.pdf

 

Claire Provost and Matt Kennard, The obscure legal system that lets corporations sue countries, The Guardian, June 10, 2015. 

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jun/10/obscure-legal-system-lets-corportations-sue-states-ttip-icsid

 

Catharine Yannaca-Small: Improving the System of Investor-state Dispute Settlement: An Overview, OECD, 2006:

http://www.oecd.org/investment/internationalinvestmentagreements/40079647.pdf

Steven McBride: Reconfiguring Sovereignty: NAFTA Chapter 11 Dispute Settlement Procedures and the Issue of Public-Private Authority, Canadian Journal of Political Science / Revue canadienne de science politique, 39:4 (December/decembre 2006) 755-775

HERE.

Damara Griffith: NAFTA, Sovereignty and Tradeoffs

http://www.fed-soc.org/doclib/20070324_NAFTA.pdf

Joe Cobb: The Real Threat to U.S. Sovereignty

Heritage Lecture #497

http://www.heritage.org/Research/InternationalOrganizations/HL497.cfm

For those with interest in international law and ICC, the following article is highly recommended:

The United States of America and the International Criminal Court

Diane Marie Amann; M. N. S. Sellers

The American Journal of Comparative Law > Vol. 50, (Autumn, 2002), pp. 381-404

Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-919X%28200223%2950%3C381%3ATUSOAA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-I

 

 

Mandatory cases: Tuna Dolphin - WTO case

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuna-Dolphin_GATT_Case_(I_and_II)

http://gurukul.ucc.american.edu/ted/TUNA.HTM

Methanex v. the United States of America

http://www.iisd.org/investment/methanex_background.asp

http://www.methanex.com/newsroom/mxnaftabackground.html

 

 

 

 

 

22.5. 

Presentation of paper topics 

 

Mandatory cases:

MGM Studios v. Grokster

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MGM_Studios%2C_Inc._v._Grokster%2C_Ltd.

Kelo v. New London

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susette_Kelo_et_al._v._City_of_New_London_et_al.

http://www.law.duke.edu/publiclaw/supremecourtonline/editedCases/kelvcit.html

 

 

 

Bonus readings:

 

Selected issues in contemporary business law 

 

The Essential Elements of Corporate Law: What is Corporate Law?, John Armour, Henry Hansmann, Reinier Kraakman, Discussion Paper No. 643, 7/2009, Harvard Law School 

available at: 

http://www.law.harvard.edu/programs/olin_center/papers/pdf/Kraakman_643.pdf

 

L Bebchuk, 'The Case for Increasing Shareholder Power' (2004-5) 118 Harvard Law Review 833, 844

http://www.law.yale.edu/documents/pdf/CBL_Symposium10_05/S4-2%20HLR-Increasing%20Shareholder%20Power.pdf

Regulatory Rights : Supreme Court Activism, the Public Interest, and the Making of Constitutional Law

Larry Yackle

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10265986&adv.x=1&p00=k1&f00=lccn&p00_upper=kzd5681&p01=%22United+States%22&f01=subject

3. Regulatory Rights

Robert A. Levy, William Mellor: The Dirty Dozen. How Twelve Supreme Court Cases Radically Expanded Government and Eroded Freedom, Cato Institute, 2008, chapters 9, 10, downloadable file (.pdf).

Classier actions, The Economist, February 15, 2007:

economist-business-09.doc

How to start a business in New York State (official guide)

http://www.business.gov/states/new-york/start.html

Choosing your business structure (Small Business Administration official guide):

http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/start/chooseastructure/START_FORMS_OWNERSHIP.html?cm_sp=ExternalLink-_-Federal-_-SBA

Basics of contract law (ExpertLaw):

http://www.expertlaw.com/library/business/contract_law.html

Selection of articles from The Economist concerning regulation of small businesses, Sarbanes Oxley law and class action suits, available here

economist-business-08.doc

Recommended for those with deeper interest in business law:

Anderson, Fox, Twomey: Business Law- Contract, pp. 185-200, PR 263a, available in Jinonice library

Bad enough to punish: The application of the responsibility guidepost in punitive damages cases after BMW v. Gore

Federation of Insurance & Corporate Counsel Quarterly, Fall 1998 by Levy, Barry R, Watson, H Thomas, Cutting, Curt

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3811/is_199810/ai_n8812153

 

 

United States and International law

Diane Marie Amann; M. N. S. Sellers, The United States of America and the International Criminal Court, The American Journal of Comparative Law > Vol. 50, (Autumn, 2002), pp. 381-404 

 

Pamela S. Karlan, Electing Judges, Judging Elections, and the Lessons of Caperton, 123 Harvard Law Review 80 (2009)

http://hlr.rubystudio.com/media/pdf/karlan09.pdf

Jed Handelsman Shugerman, Economic Crisis and the Rise of Judicial Elections and Judicial Review,

123 Harvard Law Review, 1061 (2010) http://www.harvardlawreview.org/media/pdf/123_shugerman.pdf

Path of the Law (30.3.)

Reading: Oliver Wendell Holmes: Path of the Law

Conflicts of national and international law

The Institutional Project of Neo-Liberal Globalism: The Case of the WTO

Author(s): Nitsan Chorev

Source: Theory and Society, Vol. 34, No. 3 (Jun., 2005), pp. 317-355

stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4501726

Recommended:

a) Steven McBride: Reconfiguring Sovereignty: NAFTA Chapter 11 Dispute Settlement Procedures and the Issue of Public-Private Authority, Canadian Journal of Political Science / Revue canadienne de science politique, 39:4 (December/decembre 2006) 755-775

HERE.

Damara Griffith: NAFTA, Sovereignty and Tradeoffs

http://www.fed-soc.org/doclib/20070324_NAFTA.pdf

Joe Cobb: The Real Threat to U.S. Sovereignty

Heritage Lecture #497

http://www.heritage.org/Research/InternationalOrganizations/HL497.cfm

For those with interest in international law and ICC, the following article is highly recommended:

The United States of America and the International Criminal Court

Diane Marie Amann; M. N. S. Sellers

The American Journal of Comparative Law > Vol. 50, (Autumn, 2002), pp. 381-404

Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-919X%28200223%2950%3C381%3ATUSOAA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-I

 

Theory and interpretation of the law

 

b) Robert M. Cover, Nomos and Narrative (Harvard Law Review, 1982, only the first 11 pages)

http://www.bepress.com/ils/iss8/Cover_Nomos.pdf

Recommended:

"Legal positivism," Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/legal-positivism/

"Originalism," Legal Theory Lexicon, http://lsolum.typepad.com/legal_theory_lexicon/2004/01/legal_theory_le_1.html

Richard Posner talks to U.S. law students on law and economics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJlR51GQepg

Richard Posner: Economic Interpretations of the Law, pp. 572-585, in: Snow, May: Legal Philosophy, in the school library, PR 506.

 

Additional bonus readings:

Lawrence M. Friedman: Law, Lawyers, and Popular Culture

The Yale Law Journal, Vol. 98, No. 8, Symposium: Popular Legal Culture. (Jun., 1989), pp. 1579-1606.

Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0044-0094%28198906%2998%3A8%3C1579%3ALLAPC%3E2.0.CO%3B2-1

In case JSTOR does not work, click HERE.

Robert A. Kagan: Do Lawyers Cause Adversarial Legalism? A Preliminary Inquiry

Law & Social Inquiry > Vol. 19, No. 1 (Winter, 1994), pp. 1-62

Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0897-6546%28199424%2919%3A1%3C1%3ADLCALA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-L

pouze stránky 1-25.

Definitions of basic legal terms:

http://www.id.uscourts.gov/glossary.htm

Recommended movies related to U.S. legal system:

http://faculty.law.lsu.edu/ccorcos/lawctr/TOPTENMOVIES.htm

Movies available in most Czech video rentals: Twelve Angry Men, Erin Brokovich, Devil´s Advocate, Legally Blond, Three Days of the Condor, Green Mile, Shawshank Redemption, L.A. Confidential.

 

Recommended readings from the Ebrary database (available through UK electronic resources, great source of inspiration for book reviews):

(http://pez.cuni.cz/prehled/zdroj.php?lang=cs&id=572)

 

 

American Constitutional Law, Volume 1 : The Structure of Government (8th Edition)
Rossum, Ralph A. Tarr, G. Alan

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10449815&adv.x=1&p00=k1&f00=lccn&p00_upper=kzd5681&p01=%22United+States%22&f01=subject

 

American Constitutional Law, Volume 2 : The Bill of Rights and Subsequent Amendments (8th Edition)
Rossum, Ralph A. Tarr, G. Alan

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10449817&adv.x=1&p00=k1&f00=lccn&p00_upper=kzd5681&p01=%22United+States%22&f01=subject

 

Myth of Judicial Activism : Making Sense of Supreme Court Decisions
Roosevelt, Kermit

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10170016&adv.x=1&p00=k1&f00=lccn&p00_upper=kzd5681&p01=%22United+States%22&f01=subject

 

Advice and Dissent : The Struggle to Shape the Federal Judiciary
Binder, Sarah A. Maltzman, Forrest

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10338445&adv.x=1&p00=k1&f00=lccn&p00_upper=kzd5681&p01=%22United+States%22&f01=subject

 

Regulatory Rights : Supreme Court Activism, the Public Interest, and the Making of Constitutional Law
Larry Yackle

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10265986&adv.x=1&p00=k1&f00=lccn&p00_upper=kzd5681&p01=%22United+States%22&f01=subject

 

Belfer Center Studies in International Security : Laws, Outlaws, and Terrorists : Lessons from the War on Terrorism
Blum, Gabriella Heymann, Philip B.

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10424677&adv.x=1&p00=Blum%2C+Gabriella+Heymann%2C+Philip+B.&f00=author

 

Long-Term Effects of Law Enforcement's Post-9/11 Focus on Counterterrorism and Homeland Security
Davis, Lois M. Pollard, Michael Ward, Kevin

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10440619&adv.x=1&p00=Davis%2C+Lois+M.+Pollard%2C+Michael+Ward%2C+Kevin&f00=author

 

Detention of Unlawful Enemy Combatants During the War on Terror
Hardy, Colleen E.

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10430487&adv.x=1&p00=k1&f00=lccn&p00_upper=kzd5681&p01=%22United+States%22&f01=subject

 

From the Closet to the Courtroom : Five LGBT Rights Lawsuits That Have Changed Our Nation
Ball, Carlos A.

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10392363&adv.x=1&p00=k1&f00=lccn&p00_upper=kzd5681&p01=%22United+States%22&f01=subject

 

Law in America : A Short History
Friedman, Lawrence M.

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10073999&adv.x=1&p00=k1&f00=lccn&p00_upper=kzd5681&p01=%22United+States%22&f01=subject

 

I Dissent : Great Opposing Opinions in Landmark Supreme Court Cases
Tushnet, Mark

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10256084&adv.x=1&p00=k1&f00=lccn&p00_upper=kzd5681&p01=%22United+States%22&f01=subject

 

Muslim and American? : Straddling Islamic Law and U.S. Justice
Hanshaw, Mark E.

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10430465&adv.x=1&p00=k1&f00=lccn&p00_upper=kzd5681&p01=%22United+States%22&f01=subject

 

Death Justice : Rehnquist, Scalia, Thomas, and the Contradictions of the Death Penalty
Miller, Kenneth W. Niven, David

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10430460&adv.x=1&p00=k1&f00=lccn&p00_upper=kzd5681&p01=%22United+States%22&f01=subject

 

Eight O'Clock Ferry to the Windward Side : Seeking Justice in Guantanamo Bay
Smith, Clive

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10263764&adv.x=1&p00=k1&f00=lccn&p00_upper=kzd5681&p01=%22United+States%22&f01=subject

 

Opening the Floodgates : Why America Needs to Rethink Its Borders and Immigration Laws
Johnson, Kevin R.

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10210080&adv.x=1&p00=k1&f00=lccn&p00_upper=kzd5681&p01=%22United+States%22&f01=subject

 

When Courts and Congress Collide : The Struggle for Control of America's Judicial System 
Geyh, Charles Gardner

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10362203&adv.x=1&p00=k1&f00=lccn&p00_upper=kzd5681&p01=%22United+States%22&f01=subject

 

Class, Race, Gender, and Crime : The Social Realities of Justice in America
Flavin, Jeanne Barak, Gregg

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10404851&adv.x=1&p00=Flavin%2C+Jeanne+Barak%2C+Gregg&f00=author

 

Is America Really So Punitive? : Exploring a Continuum of U. S. State Criminal Justice Policies
Kutateladze, Besiki

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10430474&adv.x=1&p00=Kutateladze%2C+Besiki&f00=author

 

No Boundaries : Transnational Latino Gangs and American Law Enforcement
Diaz, Tom Swecker, Chris

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10320557&adv.x=1&p00=h1&f00=lccn&p00_upper=hx971&p01=%22United+States%22+OR+History+OR+%22Economic+Conditions%22+OR+%2220th+Century%22&f01=subject

 

Ensuring the Quality, Credibility, and Relevance of U.S. Justice Statistics
Groves, Robert M. Cork, Daniel L.

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10333694&adv.x=1&p00=h1&f00=lccn&p00_upper=hx971&p01=%22United+States%22+OR+History+OR+%22Economic+Conditions%22+OR+%2220th+Century%22&f01=subject

 

Legislating the War on Terror : An Agenda for Reform
Wittes, Benjamin

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10347298&adv.x=1&p00=k1&f00=lccn&p00_upper=kzd5681&p01=%22United+States%22&f01=subject

 

Running for Judge : The Rising Political, Financial, and Legal Stakes of Judicial Elections
Streb, Matthew J.

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10172676&adv.x=1&p00=k1&f00=lccn&p00_upper=kzd5681&p01=%22United+States%22&f01=subject

 

We Dissent : Talking Back to the Rehnquist Court
Avery, Michael

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10289866&adv.x=1&p00=k1&f00=lccn&p00_upper=kzd5681&p01=%22United+States%22&f01=subject

 

Police Interrogation and American Justice
Leo, Richard A.

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10387243&adv.x=1&p00=h1&f00=lccn&p00_upper=hx971&p01=%22United+States%22+OR+History+OR+%22Economic+Conditions%22+OR+%2220th+Century%22&f01=subject

 

Why Our Drug Laws Have Failed and What We Can Do about It : A Judicial Indictment of the War on Drugs
Gray, James P.

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10408947&adv.x=1&p00=h1&f00=lccn&p00_upper=hx971&p01=%22United+States%22+OR+History+OR+%22Economic+Conditions%22+OR+%2220th+Century%22&f01=subject

 

When Governments Break the Law : The Rule of Law and the Prosecution of the Bush Administration
Sarat, Austin Hussain, Nasser

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10415962&adv.x=1&p00=k1&f00=lccn&p00_upper=kzd5681&p01=%22United+States%22&f01=subject

 

Congress Shall Make No Law : The First Amendment, Unprotected Speech, and the Supreme Court
O'Brien, David M.

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10483523&adv.x=1&p00=k1&f00=lccn&p00_upper=kzd5681&p01=%22United+States%22&f01=subject

 

American Legal Injustice : Behind the Scenes with an Expert Witness
Tanay, Emanuel Simon, Robert I.

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10435058&adv.x=1&p00=k1&f00=lccn&p00_upper=kzd5681&p01=%22United+States%22&f01=subject

 

Great Justices, 1941-54 : Black, Douglas, Frankfurter, and Jackson in Chambers
Domnarski, William

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cuni/docDetail.action?docID=10274283&adv.x=1&p00=k1&f00=lccn&p00_upper=kzd5681&p01=%22United+States%22&f0

Czech

Last update: PhDr. Mgr. Kryštof Přemysl Kozák, Ph.D. (14.04.2016)

Výuka probíha v angličtině, sylabus je tedy také v anglické verzi. 

Entry requirements

English

Last update: KOZAK (09.04.2008)

English language, prerequisites depending on the study program.

Czech

Last update: KOZAK (09.04.2008)

Anglický jazyk, podle studijního programu.