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Syllabus

This document  was last modified on Jan , 2008


Jurisprudence 315

Readings

Spring 2008  Mr. Froomkin 

I. Introduction [3 classes]

  1. The Case of the Speluncean Explorers  
    1. Lon Fuller, The Case of the Speluncean Explorers, 62 Harv. L. Rev. 616 (1949). [ Westlaw version of 62 Harv. L. Rev. 616]   
    2. Anthony D’Amato, The Speluncean Explorers–Further Proceedings, 32 Stan. L. Rev. 467 (1980). (Westlaw version of 32 Stan. L. Rev. 467). 
  2. Australian problems
    1. Rex v. Jack Congo Murrell, (1836) 1 Legge 72.
    2. R. v. Jemmy, (7 Sept. 1860) Argus (Newsp.) (Vic.) (Vic. Sup. Ct. F.C.)
    3. Alex C. Castles, An Australian Legal History 537-39 (1982). 
    4. Marc Gumbert, Neither Justice Nor Reason 10-11, 26-27 (1984). 
    5. Barry Bridges, The Extension of English Law to the Aborigines for Offences Committed Inter Se, 1829-1842, 59 J. Royal Aust. Hist. Soc. 264 (1973). 
  3. What is “law” as a subject?
    1. Lon L. Fuller, Means and Ends, in The Principles of Social Order 47-61 (Kenneth I. Winston ed., 1981). 
    2. Is law a science? (What are scientific laws?) Tests of Truth, The Economist, Nov. 14, 1992, at 106-07. 
    3. Is law a social science? Alasdair MacIntyre, After Virtue 88-107 (2d ed. 1984). 
    4. What does law do? Karl E. Klare, The Public/Private Distinction in Labor Law, 130 U. Pa. L. Rev. 1358 (1982). 

II. Where does one find the law? (Sources of “law”)

  1. Nature [two classes]
    1. “Natural law”.
      1. John Locke, Second Treatise on Government: Chapters 2, 5 & 16 (1821). 
    2. Natural rights
      1. The Declaration of Independence (U.S. 1776) 
      2. President Woodrow Wilson’s Address to Congress Regarding Fourteen Conditions of Peace (January 8, 1918). 
      3. Fla. Const. pmbl.,  I. 
      4. Slavery. Stephen E. Gottlieb, Jurisprudence: Cases & Materials 10-17 (1993). 
    3. Biology. A Critique of Pure Reason, The Economist, July 4, 1992, at 73. 
    4. Social Relations (Game Theory). Robert C. Ellickson, Order Without Law 158-66 (1991). 
  2. Social contracts [one class] 
    1. John Locke, Second Treatise on Government: Chapter 8 (1821). 
    2. Plato, The Crito. 
    3. Jon Elster, Ulysses and the Sirens 36-47, 88-103 (1979). 
  3. Humans. (Positivism and (some of) its critics.) [four classes]
    1. HLA Hart
      1. Howard Davies & David Holdcroft, Jurisprudence: Texts and Commentary 34-47 (1991). 
      2. Barry Hoffmaster, Professor Hart on Legal Obligation, 11 Ga. L. Rev. 1309-14 (1977).
    2. The problem of “evil legal systems”
      1. Nuremburg. Stephen E. Gottlieb, Jurisprudence: Cases and Materials 81-95 (1993) 
      2. David Dyzenhaus, Hard Cases in Wicked Legal Systems 15-18, 21-31 (1991). 
      3. The Case of the Grudge Informer. Anthony D’Amato, Jurisprudence: A Descriptive and Normative Analysis of Law 46-55 (1984). 
    3. Positivism and adjudication. Howard Davies & David Holdcroft, Jurisprudence: Texts and Commentary 69-84, 107-08 (1991). 
    4. Problems with Humans: Legal Realism [one class]
      1. E. Adamson Hoebel, The Law of Primitive Man 18-28 (1970). 
      2. Anthony D’Amato, Jurisprudence: A Descriptive and Normative Analysis of Law 5-35, 41-45 (1984) 
      3. Joseph C. Hutcheson, Jr., The Judgment Intuitive: The Function of the “Hunch” in Judicial Decision, 14 Cornell L. Q. 274-276, 280, 282, 284-87 (1929). 
      4. Felix S. Cohen, Transcendental Nonsense and the Functional Approach, 35 Colum. L. Rev. 809-814, 835-38, 842-47 (1935). 
      5. John M. Conley & William M. O’Barr, Fundamentals of Jurisprudence: An Ethnography of Judicial Decision Making in Informal Courts, 66 N. C. L. Rev. 467 (1988). 
  4. Common Law - Written or unwritten? [one class]
    1. Bruce L. Benson, The Enterprise of Law 21-30 (1990) 
    2. Act of Nov. 6, 1829 
    3. 1 Fla. Stat. 2.01 (1991) 
    4. 1 Fla. Stat. Ann. 2.01 (West 1991) (Historical Note)
    5. Oliver Wendell Holmes, The Common Law 1-2 (1949) 
  5. Written Sources [four classes]
    1. Constitutions
      1. U.S. Const. preface, art. V 
      2. Restatement of Foreign Relations Law of the United States (Revised) 102 (1986) 
    2. Legislation  
      1. Lon L. Fuller, The Morality of Law 33-41 (2d ed. 1969) 
      2. Lon L. Fuller, The Implicit Laws of Lawmaking, in The Principles of Social Order 158-168 (Kenneth I. Winston ed. 1981) 
    3. Formalized Precedent  
      1. Weber v. Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp., 611 F.2d 133 (5th Cir. 1980) (Gee, J.) 
      2. Jawish v. Morlet, 86 A.2d 96 (D.C. 1952) 
      3. Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, 112 S. Ct. 2791 (1992) 
    4. Problems with texts/rules  
      1. P.S. Atiyah & R.S. Summers, Form and Substance in Anglo-American Law 88-95 (1987) 
      2. Nix v. Hedden, 149 U.S. 304, 306-07 (1892) 
      3. Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States, 143 U.S. 457 (1891) 
      4. David L. Shapiro, The Death of the Up/Down Distinction, 36 Stan. L. Rev. 465 (1984) 
  6. “Law and Society” (Law on the Ground)
    1. International [two classes]
      1. W. Michael Reisman, Law From the Policy Perspective, in International Law Essays 1-14 (Myres S. McDougal & W. Michael Reisman eds., 1981) 
      2. Jon Elster, Local Justice: How Institutions Allocate Scarce Goods and Necessary Burdens 132-34 (1992) 
      3. United States v. Tiede, 86 F.R.D. 227 (D. Berlin, 1979)
      4. United States v. Alvarez-Machain, 112 S. Ct. 2188 (1992) 
      5. Mexican Doctor Files $20 Million Suit Against U.S. Drug Agents, UPI, July 9, 1993 
      6. Two Kinds of Federal Kidnapping, The Plain Dealer, July 2, 1993 
      7. Syllabus from Sosa v. Alvarez-Machain, 542 US 692 (2004)
    2.  Domestic [two classes]
      1. Stephen J. Adler & Wade Lambert, Just About Everyone Violates Some Laws, Even Model Citizens, Wall St. J., Mar. 12, 1993, at A1 
      2. Jon Elster, Ulysses and the Sirens 141-46 (1979) 
      3. Robert C. Ellickson, Of Coase and Cattle: Dispute Resolution Among Neighbors in Shasta County, 38 Stan. L. Rev. 623 (1986) [ Note: read Parts I, IV & V; skim parts II & III ] 
      4. Robert C. Ellickson, Order Without Law 147-55, 280-86 (1991) 

III. Is international law different from municipal law?

  1. U.N. Charter, Arts. 33-38 and the Restatement of Foreign Relations Law of the United States (Revised) [above].
  2. Louis Henkin et al., International Law: Cases and Materials 37-45, 64-69 (2d ed. 1987)
  3. Lex mercatoria. Ole Lando, The Lex Mercatoria In International Commercial Arbitration, 34 Int’l & Comp. L.Q. 747, 748-55 (1985)
  4. H.L.A. Hart, The Concept of Law 208-31 (1961)
  5. Immanuel Kant, Perpetual Peace.
  6. Fernando Teson, The Kantian Theory of International Law, 92 Colum. L. Rev. 53-74, 84-93, 99-102 (1992)

IV. Community

  1. What is the community? 
    1. Regina v. Jackson, [1956] R. & N.L.R. 66 (high court Nyasaland) 
    2. The Attorney-General For Nyasaland v. Jackson, [1957] R. & N.L.R. 433 (Federal Supreme Court) 
    3. Alasdair MacIntyre, After Virtue 244-55 (2d ed. 1984) 
    4. Lon L. Fuller, Two Principles of Human Association, in The Principles of Social Order 67-85 (Kenneth I. Winston ed., 1981) 
  2. Robert Cover on Communities 
    1. Robert Cover, Foreword: Nomos and Narrative, 97 Harv. L. Rev. 4 (1983) 
    2. Robert Cover, Violence and the Word, 95 Yale L.J. 1601 (1986) 

V. Reprise

[one class]

  1. Karebn Pringle, Customary Law – One Law for All? (summarzing Denis Walker v The State of New South Wales, (1994) 69 AIAR 111)
  2. Smith v. United States, 507 U.S. 197 (1993) (Westlaw version)
  3. Arnett v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, 126 T.C. No. 5, 2006 WL 177410 (2006) (Westlaw version)

Optional

  1. Coe v The Commonwealth of Australia (1979), 53 ALJR 403; 24 ALR 118. (online version from High Court of Australia)
  2. Mabo And Others V. Queensland  (No. 2), [1992] HCA 23; (1992) 175 CLR 1 F.C. 92/014 (3 June 1992) (online version from High Court of Australia).  (warning: long)
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