Nature of the Judicial Process

Rating:
Summary: Required Reading
Review: Like many first year students in the U.S., one quickly becomes very fond of, and curious about, Justice Benjamin Nathan Cardozo. Cardozo's opinions are written with such convincing and lucid prose that the interested law student can't help but wonder what made this man tick. This short essay explains much of Cardozo's philosophy of legal reasoning and the sources a judge must draw upon when making difficult decisions. It isn't often one has the chance to look inside the mind of a great jurist, especially in his own words. A legal classic.

Rating:
Summary: excellent explanation of the process of justice
Review: The judicial process is often a maddeningly confusing one. Cardozo, one of the most well known and respected jurists in the history of American law, aims to give a relatively straightforward account of the judicial process.

The book is a good introduction to law and its processes. It certainly is not an authoritative text, as certain of his discussions seem to be out of date. However, given the authority accorded Cardozo in the legal world one can hardly go wrong starting out with this book.

Rating:
Summary: excellent explanation of the process of justice
Review: The judicial process is often a maddeningly confusing one. Cardozo, one of the most well known and respected jurists in the history of American law, aims to give a relatively straightforward account of the judicial process.

The book is a good introduction to law and its processes. It certainly is not an authoritative text, as certain of his discussions seem to be out of date. However, given the authority accorded Cardozo in the legal world one can hardly go wrong starting out with this book.

Rating:
Summary: A classic text that remains relevant to judicial politics
Review: This book reflects the profound intellect of one of the most highly regarded jurists in American history. Despite its age, Justice Cardozo's classic treatise provides insights into the "real" workings of the judicial decision making process that remain relevant to a modern analysis of American jurisprudence. His exploration of the motivations, ideals, and even prejudicies of judges serves to demystify this crucial aspect of the legal system. His insights into "legal realism" provide an appreciation of this judicial approach and offers an understanding of its underlying rationale, as well as an argument for its continued utility for modern jurists. Most importantly, he strives to make the judicial process comprehensible and, even, approachable to the non-practitioner of law, as well as law students, thus attempting to make public law, truly, "public."