Failures of American Methods of Lawmaking in Historical and Comparative Perspectives

Download or read book Failures of American Methods of Lawmaking in Historical and Comparative Perspectives written by James R. Maxeiner and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2018-03-08 with total page 605 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book, James R. Maxeiner takes on the challenge of demonstrating that historically American law makers did consider a statutory methodology as part of formulating laws. In the nineteenth century, when the people wanted laws they could understand, lawyers inflicted judge-made, statute-destroying, common law on them. Maxeiner offers the cure for common law, in the form of sensible statute law. Building on this historical evidence, Maxeiner shows how rule-making in civil law jurisdictions in other countries makes for a far more equitable legal system. Sensible statute laws fit together: one statute governs, as opposed to several laws that even lawyers have trouble disentangling. In a statute law system, lawmakers make laws for the common good in sensible procedures, and judges apply sensible laws and do not make them. This book shows how such a system works in Germany and how it would be a solution for the American legal system as well.