One Saturday morning in February 1972, an impoundment dam ownedby the Pittston Coal Company burst, sending a 130 million gallon,25 foot tidal wave of water, sludge, and debris crashing intosouthern West Virginia's Buffalo Creek hollow. It was one of thedeadliest floods in U.S. history. 125 people were killed instantly,more than 1,000 were injured, and over 4,000 were suddenlyhomeless. Instead of accepting the small settlements offered by thecoal company's insurance offices, a few hundred of the survivorsbanded together to sue. This is the story of their triumph overincredible odds and corporate irresponsibility, as told by GeraldM. Stern, who as a young lawyer and took on the case and won.

Probably written by a student of Aristotle, The AthenianConstitution is both a history and an analysis of Athens' politicalmachinery between the seventh and fourth centuries BC, which standsas a model of democracy at a time when city-states lived underdiffering kinds of government. The writer recounts the majorreforms of Solon, the rule of the tyrant Pisistratus and his sons,the emergence of the democracy in which power was shared by allfree male citizens, and the leadership of Pericles and thedemagogues who followed him. He goes on to examine the city'sadministration in his own time - the council, the officials and thejudicial system. For its information on Athens' development and howthe democracy worked, The Athenian Constitution is an invaluablesource of knowledge about the Athenian city-state.

For more than two decades, Vanity Fair has published DominickDunne’s brilliant, revelatory chronicles of the most famous crimes,trials, and punishments of our time. Here, in one volume, areDominick Dunne’s mesmerizing tales of justice denied and justiceaffirmed. Whether writing of Claus von Bülow’s romp through twotrials; the Los Angeles media frenzy surrounding O.J. Simpson; thedeath by fire of multibillionaire banker Edmond Safra; or theGreenwich, Connecticut, murder of Martha Moxley and theindictment—decades later—of Michael Skakel, Dominick Dunne tells ithonestly and tells it from his unique perspective. His search forthe truth is relentless.

An examination of privacy and the evolution of communication,from broken sealing wax to high-tech wiretapping A sweeping story of the right to privacy as it sped alongcolonial postal routes, telegraph wires, and even today’sfiber-optic cables, American Privacy traces the lineage of culturalnorms and legal mandates that have swirled around the FourthAmendment since its adoption. Legally, technologically, andhistorically grounded, Frederick Lane’s book presents a vivid andpenetrating exploration that, in the words of people’s historianHoward Zinn, “challenges us to defendour most basic rights.”--Fromthe Trade Paperback edition.

In 1787, the American union was in disarray. The incompatibledemands of the separate states threatened its existence; somestates were even in danger of turning into the kind of tyranny theyhad so recently deposed. A truly national government was needed, one that could raisemoney, regulate commerce, and defend the states against foreignthreats–without becoming as overbearing as England. Sothirty-six-year-old James Madison believed. That summer, theVirginian was instrumental in organizing the ConstitutionalConvention, in which one of the world’s greatest documents would bedebated, created, and signed. Inspired by a sense of history in themaking, he kept the most extensive notes of any attendee. Now two esteemed scholars have made these minutes accessible toeveryone. Presented with modern punctuation and spelling, judiciouscuts, and helpful notes–plus fascinating background information onevery delegate and an overview of the tumultuous times–here is thegreat drama of how the Constituti

“The best legal read . . . in decades. A brilliantlyentertaining work, both for the lawyer and the layman.” Washington Times Robert S. Bennett has been a lawyer for more than forty years. Inthat time, he’s taken on dozens of high-pro?le and groundbreakingcases and emerged as the go-to guy for the nation’s elite. BobBennett gained international recognition as one of America’s bestlawyers for leading the defense of President Bill Clinton in thePaula Jones case. He has always fought for justice. This is hisstory. Born in Brooklyn and an amateur boxer in his youth, Bennett hasoften brought his street-?ghter’s mentality to the courtroom. Hiscase history is a who’s who of ?gures who have dominated legalheadlines: superlobbyist Tommy Corcoran, former secretaries ofdefense Clark Clifford and Caspar Weinberger, Marge Schott, and,most recently, New York Times reporter Judith Miller and formerWorld Bank president Paul Wolfowitz. Throughout the telling of his life in court, Be

Courtroom 302 is the fascinating story of one year inChicago's Cook County Criminal Courthouse, the busiest felonycourthouse in the country. Here we see the system through the eyesof the men and women who experience it, not only in the courtroombut in the lockup, the jury room, the judge's chambers, thespectators' gallery. From the daily grind of the court to thehighest-profile case of the year, Steve Bogira’s masterfulinvestigation raises fundamental issues of race, civil rights, andjustice in America.

People with disabilities forging the newest and last humanrights movement of the century.

What is the difference between cant and jargon, or assume andpresume? What is a fandango? How do you spell supersede? Is ithippy or hippie? These questions really matter to Bill Bryson, asthey do to anyone who cares about the English language. Originallypublished as "The Penguin Dictionary for Writers and Editors","Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors" has now beencompletely revised and updated for the twenty-first century by BillBryson himself. Here is a very personal selection of spellings andusages, covering such head-scratchers as capitalization, plurals,abbreviations and foreign names and phrases. Bryson also gives usthe difference between British and American usages, andmiscellaneous pieces of essential information you never knew youneeded, like the names of all the Oxford colleges, or the correctspelling of Brobdingnag. An indispensable companion to all thosewho write, work with the written word, or who just enjoy gettingthings right, it gives rulings that are both authoritative andcommonsense,

A perfect introduction to a vital subject very fewAmericans understand-the constitutional status of AmericanIndians Few American s know that Indian tribes havea legal status unique among America's distinct racial and ethnicgroups: they are sovereign governments who engage in relations withCongress. This peculiar arrangement has led to frequent legal andpolitical disputes-indeed, the history of American Indians andAmerican law has been one of clashing values and sometimes uneasycompromise. In this clear-sighted account, American Indian scholarN. Bruce Duthu explains the landmark cases in Indian law of thepast two centuries. Exploring subjects as diverse as jurisdictionalauthority, control of environmental resources, and the regulationsthat allow the operation of gambling casinos, American Indiansand the Law gives us an accessible entry point into a vitalfacet of Indian history.

Wilbert Rideau, an award-winning journalist who spentforty-four years in prison, delivers a remarkable memoir of crime,punishment, and ultimate triumph. After killing a bank teller in a moment of panic during a botchedrobbery, Wilbert Rideau was sentenced to death at the age ofnineteen. He spent several years on death row at Angola before hissentence was commuted to life, where, as editor of the prisonnewsmagazine The Angolite, he undertook a mission to expose andreformLouisiana's iniquitousjustice system from the inside. Vivid,incisive, and compassionate, this is a detailed account of prisonlife and a man who accepted responsibility for his actions andworked to redeem himself. It is a story about not giving up;finding love in unexpected places; the power of kindness; and theability to do good, no matter where you are.

For the first time, a collection of dissents from the mostfamous Supreme Court cases If American history can truly be traced through the majoritydecisions in landmark Supreme Court cases, then what about thedissenting opinions? In issues of race, gender, privacy, workers'rights, and more, would advances have been impeded or failuresrectified if the dissenting opinions were in fact the majorityopinions? In offering thirteen famous dissents-from Marbury v. Madison andBrown v. Board of Education to Griswold v. Connecticut and Lawrencev. Texas, each edited with the judges' eloquence preserved-renownedSupreme Court scholar Mark Tushnet reminds us that court decisionsare not pronouncements issued by the utterly objective, they are infact political statements from highly intelligent but partisanpeople. Tushnet introduces readers to the very concept of dissentin the courts and then provides useful context for each case,filling in gaps in the Court's history and providing an overview ofthe issues at

There is an undercover war going on in America that impactseveryone's life far more than the legal issues that typically grabthe headlines. The conservative movement has been systematicallyturning back a century's worth of the evolving gains andprotections found in the common law-the areas of law that affectthe everyday activities of ordinary people. Throughout the twentieth century, contract, property, andpersonal injury law evolved to take more account of socialconditions and the needs of consumers, workers, and less powerfulmembers of American society. Contracts were interpreted in light ofcommon sense, property ownership was subjected to reasonable-useprovisions to protect the environment, and consumers were protectedagainst dangerous products. But all that is changing. Conservatives have a clear agenda toturn back the clock on the common law to maximize the profits ofbig business. Some significant inroads have already been made toprotect gun manufacturers from lawsuits, enforce form co

In this remarkable book, a national bestseller in hardcover,Sandra Day O’Connor explores the law, her life as a Supreme CourtJustice, and how the Court has evolved and continues to function,grow, and change as an American institution. Tracing some of theorigins of American law through history, people, ideas, andlandmark cases, O’Connor sheds new light on the basics, exploringthrough personal observation the evolution of the Court andAmerican democratic traditions. Straight-talking, clear-eyed,inspiring, The Majesty of the Law is more than a reflection onO’Connor’s own experiences as the first female Justice of theSupreme Court; it also reveals some of the things she has learnedand believes about American law and life—reflections gleaned overher years as one of the most powerful and inspiring women inAmerican history.

“Law school applicants should consider this a guide toproducing a competitive, superior essay. . . . These successfulexamples speak louder than any written how-to instructions could.”–The Book Watch Each year, thousands of people apply to the most prestigious lawschools across the country, competing for an ever-smaller number ofspaces. But each applicant gets one chance to distinguish himselfor herself from the pack: the law school application essay. In theessay, you can spotlight the qualities you possess that tran*sand LSAT scores cannot reveal.

From the founders of JD Jungle magazine, a hip must-read for present and future law-school students, or anyone who wants to learn the "laws of the jungle." There's an old saying about law school: The first year, they scare you to death; the second year, they work you to death; the third year, they bore you to death. Helping to alleviate this famed fright, sweat, and boredom, The JD Jungle Law School Survival Guide expertly shows current and prospective students how to navigate all three years of law-school torture. Comprehensive, practical, and witty, it includes advice from students in the trenches, successful graduates, sage professors, and working professionals, including: How to identify and get accepted at the law school of your choice Places to look for and get financial aid Effective note-taking, study, and exam-day strategies Tips for managing law-school stress How to pass the bar exam the first time How to land a law internship-and then the job of your dream

“We need a new idea of how to govern. The current system isbroken. Law is supposed to be a framework for humans to makechoices, not the replacement for free choice.” So notes Philip K.Howard in the new Afterword to his explosive manifesto The Deathof Common Sense . Here Howard offers nothing less than a fresh,lucid, practical operating system for modern democracy. America isdrowning—in law, lawsuits, and nearly endless red tape. Beforeacting or making a decision, we often abandon our best instincts.We pause, we worry, we equivocate, and then we divert our energyinto trying to protect ourselves. Filled with one too many examplesof bureaucratic overreach, The Death of Common Sense demonstrates how we—and our country—can at last get back ontrack.

The bestselling business classic that Raytheon CEO William Swanson made famous . Every once in awhile, there is a book with a message so timeless,so universal, that it transcends generations. The Unwritten Lawsof Business is such a book. Originally published over 60 yearsago as The Unwritten Laws of Engineering , it has sold over100,000 copies, despite the fact that it has never been availablebefore to general readers. Fully revised for business readerstoday, here are but a few of the gems you’ll find in thislittle-known business classic: If you take care of your present job well, the future will takecare of itself. The individual who says nothing is usually credited with havingnothing to say. Whenever you are performing someone else’s function, you areprobably neglecting your own. Martyrdom only rarely makes heroes, and in the business world, suchheroes and martyrs often find themselves unemployed. Refreshingly free of the latest business fads and jargon, this is abook that is wise and insight

In this updated and expanded edition of The Tyranny of GoodIntentions , Paul Craig Roberts and Lawrence M. Stratton renewtheir valiant campaign to reclaim that which is rightlyours–liberty protected by the rule of law. They show how crusadinglegislators and unfair prosecutors are remaking American law into aweapon wielded by the government and how the erosion of the legalprinciples we hold dear–such as habeas corpus and the prohibitionagainst self-incrimination–is destroying the presumption ofinnocence. A new introduction and new chapters cover recent marqueecases and make this provocative book essential reading for anyonewho cringes at the thought of unbridled state power and sees ourcivil liberties slowly slipping away in the name of the War onDrugs, the War on Crime, and the War on Terror.