Today's (2/8/2010) New Book Releases on Law

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The Making of International Environmental Treaties: Neoliberal and Constructivist Analyses of Normative Evolution by Gerry Nagtzaam - 392 pages
Gerry Nagtzaam contends that in recent decades neoliberal institutionalist scholarship on global environmental regimes has burgeoned, as has constructivist scholarship on the key role played by norms in international politics. In this innovative volume, the author sets these interest- and norm-based approaches against each other in order to test their ability to illustrate why and how different environmental norms take hold in some regimes and not others.

The book explores why some global environmental treaties seek to preserve and protect some parts of nature from human utilization, some seek to conserve certain parts of nature for human development, whilst others allow the reckless exploitation of nature without accounting for the consequences. It tracks the fate of these three underlying environmental norms - preservation, conservation and exploitation - using case studies on whaling, mining in Antarctica and tropical timber. The book illustrates how international political battles to shape environmental regimes inevitably result in clashes between these competing environmental norms.

This unique study will prove a fascinating read for both academics and practitioners in the fields of international environmental politics and international environmental law.

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Understanding International Law by Conway W. Henderson - 488 pages
Understanding International Law presents a comprehensive, accessible introduction to the various aspects of international law while addressing its interrelationship with world politics.
  •  Presents a well-organized, balanced coverage of all aspects of international law
  • Features an accompanying website with direct access to court cases and study and discussion questions
  • Includes discussion of the efficacy of international law, a topic unique among international law texts
  • Offers discussion of other topics that most texts do not address, such as complete chapters on making the world safer, human rights, the environment, and the world economy
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Welfare's Forgotten Past: A Socio-Legal History of the Poor Law by Lorie Charlesworth - 248 pages

That ‘poor law was law’ is a fact that has slipped from the consciousness of historians of welfare in England and Wales, and in North America. Welfare's Forgotten Past remedies this situation by tracing the history of the legal right of the settled poor to relief when destitute. Poor law was not simply local custom, but consisted of legal rights, duties and obligations that went beyond social altruism. This legal ‘truth’ is, however, still ignored or rejected by some historians, and thus ‘lost’ to social welfare policy makers. This forgetting or minimising of a legal, enforceable right to relief has not only led to a misunderstanding of welfare’s past; it has also contributed to the stigmatisation of poverty, and the emergence and persistence of the idea that its relief is a 'gift' from the state.

Documenting the history and the effects of this forgetting, whilst also providing a ‘legal’ history of welfare, Lorie Charlesworth argues that it is timely for social policy-makers and reformists - in Britain, the United States and elsewhere - to reconsider an alternative welfare model, based on the more positive, legal aspects of welfare’s 400-year legal history.

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Privacy: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) by Raymond Wacks - 144 pages
It is widely recognized that our privacy is under threat. Electronic surveillance, biometrics, CCTV, ID cards, RFID codes, online security, encryption, the interception of email, the monitoring of employees--all raise fundamental questions about privacy. Legal expert Raymond Wacks here provides a compact introduction to this complex and controversial concept. He explores the tension between free speech and privacy which is often tested by paparazzi, with their intrusive journalism and sensational disclosures of the private lives of celebrities. He also looks at laws in many nations that regulate the collection and use of personal information, whether highly sensitive--medical and financial information--or commonplace transactions and details about us. The protection of personal data represents a classic instance of the law's struggle to keep abreast with technology, as the information revolution has spawned problems that test the ability of the law to provide adequate protection against abuse. The book concludes that, while under attack from many quarters, privacy remains an essential human right, recognized as such by many international organizations.
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Rant on the Court Martial and Service Law by Jeff Blackett - 425 pages
This new edition of Rant on the Court Martial, Discipline, and the Criminal Process in the Armed Services follows the Armed Forces Act 2006, which overhauls the naval and military justice systems, establishing a single system of service law and removing the need for separate consideration of the law applicable to the three services. The Act establishes the Court Martial as a standing court, and will establish a single prosecuting authority. It also abolishes review, removes old offences, establishes new offences and introduces a new sentencing regime reflecting the changes in the civil system brought about by the Criminal Justice Act 2003. It also extends the jurisdiction of Court Martial to allow it to try certain serious offences committed in the UK (treason, murder, manslaughter and rape), brings the new sentencing provisions introduced into civilian practice by the Criminal Justice Act 2003 into the Service jurisidiction as well as making changes to the Standing Civilian Court following the extension of jurisdiction over wider sections of civilians.

This new edition has been fully revised to provide detailed coverage of the Act, which is due to come into force in January 2009. It includes a new chapter reviewing and assessing the impact of key cases in the European Court of Human Rights; new material highlighting the parallels and differences between procedure in the Crown Courts and Court Martial; and a more in-depth treatment of sentencing matters. The appendices will include the various Rules relating to Service courts, relevant extracts from the Act and a list of all 65 Statutory Instruments. This is an essential handbook for those practising in the Service justice system and for academics researching Service law.
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Police Culture in a Changing World (Clarendon Studies in Criminology) by Bethan Loftus - 240 pages
This fascinating new title offers an ethnographical investigation of contemporary police culture based on extensive field work across a range of ranks and units in the UK's police force. By drawing on over 600 hours of direct observation of operational policing in urban and rural areas and interviews with over 60 officers, the author assesses what impact three decades of social, economic and political change have had on police culture. She offers new understandings of the policing of ethnicity, gender and sexuality, and the ways in which reform initiatives are accommodated and resisted within the police. The author also explores the attempts of one force to effect cultural change both to improve the working conditions of staff and to deliver a more effective and equitable service to all groups in society.

Beginning with a review of the literature on police culture from 30 years ago, the author goes on to outline the new social, economic and political field of contemporary British policing. Taking this as a starting point, the remaining chapters present the main findings of the empirical research in what is a a truly comprehensive analysis of present day policing culture.
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Embryonic Stem Cell Patents: European Patent Law and Ethics by Aurora Plomer, Paul Torremans - 440 pages
Stem cell research, and particularly embryonic stem cell research, while offering the prospect of developing theories for serious life-threatening diseases, also raises a number of difficult and controversial moral questions. This is reflected in a variety of moral perspectives and regulatory regimes, already adopted or in the process of being developed, in EU Member States. In particular the "moral exclusion" clause in Article 6 of the EC Directive on the legal protection of biotechnological inventions has created much uncertainty in this field.

This collection of original essays provides comprehensive analysis of the EU patent system as applied to biotechnological inventions and particularly stem cell research, dealing with the overlapping EPC, EU, international and national law regimes bearing on the exclusion of patents in a morally fragmented and contested field. In this multidisciplinary study, the editors aim to clarify the legal scope of Article 6, which they deem essential for the fostering of research and investment in Europe, while ensuring that such research is conducted within clear ethical limits which address the concerns of society.

As well as a complete overview of the application of the European patent law in the field of human embryonic stem cells, topics covered include legal and philosophical accounts of the boards of the European Court of Justice and European Patent Offices' reasoning in the leading litigated cases, as well as the institutional tensions between national and transnational European research and patent regimes. With its broad research in the fields of patent law, ethics and philosophy, the book analyzes a wide range of issues in a way no other book has previously done and suggests solutions to unblock the current stalemate surrounding the patentability of human embryonic stem cell related inventions. The book will be welcomed by a broad readership, including experts and academics in both ethical and legal disciplines as well as policy makers and regulators in the field of embryonic stem cell research in Europe.
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International Law for International Relations by Basak Cali - 480 pages
The breadth of international law and institutions in contemporary global politics means it is no longer possible to make sense of international politics without understanding international law. International Law for International Relations provides students with comprehensive coverage that maps out the different ways to approach the study of international law. It explains the institutions and main sources of international law-making and identifies the key topics of international law. This is the ideal text for students of international relations who have not previously studied law and post-graduate students of any background tackling international law for the first time. The complexities of international law are presented in an accessible, animated way allowing students to appreciate the significance of international law in international relations.

Online resource centre includes:

For students:
Flash card glossary
Problem solving questions
Web links
Revision tips

For lecturers
Power point presentations
Essay and exam questions database
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LSAT Logic Games For Dummies by Zegarelli - 384 pages

Improve your score on the Analytical Reasoning portion of the LSAT

If you're like most test-takers, you find the infamous Analytical Reasoning or "Logic Games" section of the LSAT to be the most elusive and troublesome. Now there's help! LSAT Logic Games For Dummies takes the puzzlement out of the Analytical Reasoning section of the exam and shows you that it's not so problematic after all!

This easy-to-follow guide examines the types of logic puzzles presented on the LSAT and offers step-by-step instructions for how best to correctly identify and solve each problem within the allocated time.

  • Coverage of all six question types
  • Detailed strategies for quickly and correctly recognizing and solving each question type
  • Complete with loads of practice problems

Whether you're preparing to take the LSAT for the first time or looking to improve a previous score, LSAT Logic Games For Dummies is the logical study companion for anyone looking to score high on the LSAT!

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Migration and Human Rights: The United Nations Convention on Migrant Workers' Rights - 450 pages
The UN Convention on Migrant Workers' Rights is the most comprehensive international treaty in the field of migration and human rights. Adopted in 1990 and entered into force in 2003, it sets a standard in terms of access to human rights for migrants. However, it suffers from a marked indifference: only forty states have ratified it and no major immigration country has done so. This highlights how migrants remain forgotten in terms of access to rights. Even though their labour is essential in the world economy, the non-economic aspect of migration - and especially migrants' rights - remain a neglected dimension of globalisation. This volume provides in-depth information on the Convention and on the reasons behind states' reluctance towards its ratification. It brings together researchers, international civil servants and NGO members and relies upon an interdisciplinary perspective that includes not only law, but also sociology and political science.
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A Theory of Legal Argumentation: The Theory of Rational Discourse as Theory of Legal Justification by Robert Alexy, Ruth Adler, Neil MacCormick - 352 pages
What is to be understood by 'rational legal argument'? To what extent can legal reasoning be rational? Is the demand for rationality in legal affairs justified? And what are the criteria of rationality in legal reasoning? The answer to these questions is not only of interest to legal theorists and philosophers of law. They are pressing issues for practicing lawyers, and a matter of concern for every citizen active in the public arena. Not only the standing of academic law as a scientific discipline, but also the legitimacy of judicial decisions depends on the possibility of rational legal argumentation.

A theory of legal reasoning which tries to answer these questions pre-supposes a theory of general practical reasoning. This theory is the subject matter of the first two parts of the book. The result is a theory of general practical discourse which rests on insights of both Anglo-Saxon and German philosophy. It forms the basis of the theory of rational legal discourse, which is developed in the third part of this book.
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Shaping Internet Governance: Regulatory Challenges by Rolf H. Weber - 280 pages

The recent intensive discussions about the contents of Internet governance addressed manifold aspects of a possible regulatory regime. Since an international treaty structure is missing and self-regulation as a normative model does not suffice in all respects, new architectural and constitutional theories need to be developed. Notwithstanding the available literature on the Internet Governance Forum, this thorough and systematic study is shedding light on the main topics of Internet governance (such as legitimacy, transparency, accountability, and participation) and on the key regulatory issues (for example critical Internet resources, access, protection of civil liberties/human rights, realization of security, safety and privacy standards, as well as the overcoming of the digital divide) from a legal perspective.

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The Psychology of Judicial Decision Making (American Psychology-Law Society) - 360 pages
While scholars in the past several decades have made great progress in explaining what judges do, there remains a certain lack of depth to our understanding. This volume grew from a belief that close examination of the psychological processes underlying judicial decision making can greatly enrich this understanding. The collected essays map ways of incorporating key concepts and findings from psychology into the study of judging.

The first section of the book takes as its starting point the fact that judges make many of the same judgments and decisions that ordinary people make and considers how our knowledge about judgment and decision-making in general applies to the case of legal judges. In the second section, chapters focus on the specific tasks that judges perform within a unique social setting and examine the expertise and particular modes of reasoning that judges develop to deal with their tasks in this unique setting. Finally, the third section raises questions about whether and how we can evaluate judicial performance, with implications for the possibility of improving judging through the selection and training of judges and structuring of judicial institutions. Together the essays will foster a better understand how judges make decisions, and open new avenues of inquiry into influences on judicial behavior.