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Law in the United States: Cases and Commentaries

3rd Edition
Charles F. Abernathy | Markus G. Puder
ISBN: 9781647085520
Subject: Introduction To U.S. Law
Format: Print - Hardbound
Page Count: 890
Copyright: 2021 | Status: In Stock
Other Formats Available

The third edition of Law in the United States introduces students to the unique American mix of common law, statutory materials, and constitutional law. Strongly emphasizing American legal methods and American legal history and culture, the book provides a rich array of teaching resources covering both public and private law.

The broader themes discussed in the eighteen chapters of this casebook include the nature and sources of American law, the division of government power and the protection of human rights under the U.S. Constitution, litigation in a federal framework, and the American enterprise system, with a focus on torts, contracts, corporations and eminent domain.

This book lends itself to being used for various target audiences. Over the years, it has proven a valuable learning resource for foreign-trained attorneys enrolled in American Master of Laws programs. Moreover, the range of subjects discussed in the book will assist students who may wish to sit for a state bar examination in a state with specific requirements for study of American legal methods. The book is also highly suitable for pre-law programs at the college level as well as law school seminars. Also, comparativists with an interest in American law may find this casebook a valuable resource in light of the rich commentaries it offers through expositions and notes.


Imprint: West Academic Publishing
Series: American Casebook Series
Publication Date: 05/07/2021

Charles F. Abernathy, Georgetown University Law Center

Markus G. Puder, Loyola University-New Orleans College of Law

CasebookPlus™

This title is available in our CasebookPlus format. CasebookPlus provides support beyond your classroom lectures and materials by offering additional digital resources to you and your students. Anchored by faculty-authored formative self-assessments keyed to our most popular casebooks, CasebookPlus allows students to test their understanding of core concepts as they are learning them in class – on their own, outside of the classroom, with no extra work on your part. CasebookPlus combines three important elements:

  • A new print or digital casebook
  • Access to a downloadable eBook with the ability to highlight and add notes
  • 12-month access to a digital Learning Library complete with:
Multiple-choice self-assessment questions, including:
  • Chapter questions keyed to the casebook
  • Black Letter Law questions (available in select subjects)
  • Subject area review questions for end of semester use
Essay and short answer questions with sample answers and expert commentary, in 1L and select upper-level subjects

Leading digital study aids, an outline starter, and audio lectures in select subjects

Students can still utilize CasebookPlus digital resources if they’ve purchased a used book or are renting their text by purchasing the Learning Library at westacademic.com.

With CasebookPlus, you can customize your students’ learning experience and monitor their performance. The quiz editor allows you to create your own custom quiz set, suppress specific quiz questions or quiz sets, and time-release quiz questions. Additionally, the flexible, customized reporting capability helps you evaluate your students’ understanding of the material and can also help your school demonstrate compliance with the new ABA Assessment and Learning Outcomes standards.

The third edition of Law the United States significantly updates the prior editions while retaining the overall didactic design that made the previous editions successful. Principal cases continue to focus on the canon learned by students in J.D. programs in U.S. law schools so that LL.M. students and students studying in foreign law schools will learn the same foundational materials as American students. In the course of this update, the casebook offers several innovations, including:

  • New writing tasks for students to practice what they have learned in each chapter.
  • New comparative references to other legal orders, with a focus on the mixed systems of the European Union and the State of Louisiana.
  • A new chapter discussing the regulation of property and takings.
  • New featured cases for New York’s common law (product liability), federal common law (admiralty), presidential power (congressional control of appointments), foreign affairs law (self-executing treaties), dormant commerce clause (non-discrimination), territorial jurisdiction (general jurisdiction), corporations (piercing the veil).
  • Expanded notes capturing recent developments in jurisprudence and scholarship (legislative standing, gerrymandering, impeachment, electoral college, alien tort statute, sexual orientation).

Learn more about this series.