Peter J. Smith
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Homicides, according to Professor Hoffmann, are unique among crimes. Examine the pyramid of homicidal crimes, including involuntary manslaughter, second-degree murder, and first-degree murder. Also, consider several real-world examples that highlight the issue of culpability in homicide, including the case of Dr. Jack Kevorkian's assisted suicides.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Of all the doctrines in tort law, factual causation appears to be the most scientific and value-neutral. The truth, however, may surprise you. Learn why determinations about causation aren't simple, but do matter - a lot. Also, consider whether the causation question is more philosophical than scientific.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
All lawyers have responsibilities to their clients and to the integrity of the justice system. But what are the bounds of a lawyer's responsibility in representing a client? What's confidential and what's not? For answers to these and other questions, consider challenges arising in the State of Florida v. George Zimmerman.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
The focus here is on negligence or other culpable conduct on the part of the plaintiff. What does tort law say about what happens when a plaintiff is at fault? Just how much of a two-way street is an issue like safety? For some answers, look to seat belts.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
To understand how criminal law works, you first have to understand what a crime is. What are the purposes of criminal law? Why is textualism so important to distinguishing the bygone era of common-law crimes from those of the 21st century? Who are the key players involved in defining a crime?
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
The U.S. federal government might be the most powerful government in the world - but it's power to prohibit and punish crimes is relatively constrained. Professor Hoffmann reveals the important distinctions in scope, meaning, and effect between state criminal law and federal criminal law in the United States.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Professor Smith discusses jurisdiction: the power of the courts to hear a case and to render a judgment. As you'll discover, there are really two different types of jurisdiction, one of which is subject matter jurisdiction, which refers to the court's authority to hear cases concerning a particular subject matter.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
In the first look at the Fourth Amendment, go inside the fascinating history behind the topic of government searches and privacy rights. You'll consider the scope of the Fourth Amendment, learn what defines "search" and "seizure," and ponder the role of modern technology in affecting how the Fourth Amendment works.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Pore over the "cruel and unusual punishments" clause of the Eighth Amendment in search of why the Supreme Court has had so much trouble applying this provision to real-world criminal cases. By the end, you'll realize why the Eighth Amendment is considered by some legal experts to be a constitutional enigma.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
According to the Fifth Amendment, "no person...shall be compelled to be a witness against himself." Examine the history of this core aspect of the Bill of Rights. Learn how the amendment works in and out of court, how the privilege has become subject to compromises over time, and what "pleading the fifth" actually requires.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Tort law isn't fixed in stone but instead evolves to meet a changing society. Case in point: the development of modern products liability law. In the first a two-part look at the subject, walk through some elegant cases in torts to determine why products liability has promoted litigation on a massive scale.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
How does one tell whether a particular rule of state law is procedural or, instead, substantive? Which law applies - and when? Here, a famous case between two taxicab transfer companies offers an extreme and fascinating illustration of the procedural problems that can arise between federal and state courts.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
What are punitive damages? Why do we have them? How can the legal system rein in out-of-control juries? To get answers to these three questions, look to a case that's long been the symbol of a legal system run amok: Liebeck v. McDonald's Restaurants, or the case of the spilled hot coffee.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Consider the mechanisms of a motion for summary judgment, by which a judge can resolve a suit with something less than a complete trial. Central to this are two important cases that highlight the nuances of this type of motion: Celotex v. Catrett and Denman v. Spain.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Trial courts, intermediate courts of appeals, the Supreme Court - different courts play different roles in our legal system. First, consider when a party is allowed to appeal a decision by a trial court. Then, consider the standards of review that appellate courts apply when reviewing trial court decisions.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Juries undoubtedly play an important role in civil procedure, even in cases that don't end up having a trial before a jury. Here, consider the virtues and drawbacks of having juries decide issues in civil suits, then explore the scope of this right as guaranteed by the Seventh Amendment.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Explore traditional strict liability through the lens of two common kinds of claims that don't require negligence: damage caused by animals and damage caused by ultra-hazardous blasts and explosions. Along the way, examine whether or not strict liability really is all that different from conventional negligence.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Lawsuits today often involve multiple plaintiffs suing multiple defendants on multiple claims. How does this kind of complex litigation work? First, consider the rules governing "joinder" - when claims and parties can be joined in one suit. Then, turn to a familiar (and special) multi-party suit: the class action.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Cases involving legal causation and the foreseeability test are the favorites of many law professors. Using one of the most famous cases in the torts canon, Palsgraf v. Long Island Railroad, discover why legal causation is so intricately linked to policy, our sense of justice, and moral responsibility.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Get the same foundational knowledge as lawyers - without law school. In the 48 lectures of Law School for Everyone, four exceptional law professors recreate key parts of the first-year law student experience, introducing you to the areas of law most every beginning student studies: litigation and legal practice, criminal law and procedure, civil procedure, and torts.