Ramsey County Law Library Blog

In The Collapse of the American Justice System, Professor William J. Stuntz argues that our current Criminal Justice system is both harsh and ineffective.  How do we fix this?  The answer is complex, but fundamental components include more trials with local juries; laws that accurately define what prosecutors seek to punish; and an equal protection guarantee like the one that died in the 1870s, to make prosecution and punishment less discriminatory.

Leading scholars and critics give this book rave reviews.  Justice John Paul Stevens says, “Virtually everything that Professor Stuntz has written is thought-provoking and constructive…Well worth reading.”  Paul G. Cassell of the Wall Street Journal wrote, “The overarching themes deserve wide discussion, and the book as a whole can be rightly seen as the capstone to a distinguished legal career. ”

If you are interested in the criminal justice system and how it can be improved, this book is for you.

This book can be viewed at the Ramsey County Law Library.  Come visit us on the 18th floor of the Ramsey County Courthouse.

In Rebuilding Justice, by Rebecca Love Kourlis and Dirk Olin, the authors explain why the courts are critical and how they are being undermined by a system that has not faced major reform since 1938. They offer their solutions to complex issues such as civil justice reform, judicial selection and performance evaluation. 

Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who wrote the forward, says this book “should be of interest to individuals committed specifically to the health of the courts, and, more broadly, to the health of our democratic system.”

For more on the book, see Kourlis’s own Huffington Post article.

This book can be viewed at the Ramsey County Law Library.  Come visit us on the 18th floor of the Ramsey County Courthouse.

The library has added the new third edition of Garner’s Dictionary of Legal Usage by Bryan A. Garner.  Not merely a standard legal “dictionary”, this book focuses on on usage questions that commonly arise in legal writing.  It is an indispensable tool for anybody who practices legal writing.  Here are just of a few of the glowing reviews:

Mr. Garner, a Texas practitioner, sets forth an authoritative guide to American legal usage and style. All legal writers will find it an invaluable help; many law-review editors will find it a source of delight. Don’t confront your editor without it.

  Harvard Law Review

This dictionary is not only useful, it is actually fun to browse in. Its entries are admirably clear and direct, and often clever. If used regularly by enough lawyers, it could put an end to legalese.

The Federal Lawyer

Keep a copy of this book where you write briefs. You will use A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage, Second Edition, again and again with confidence and delight. This is one of the best books ever written for lawyers. 

The Appellate Practice Journal and Update

This book can be viewed at the Ramsey County Law Library.  Come visit us on the 18th floor of the Ramsey County Courthouse.

A new book the the Law Library collection, Judicial Clerkships: A Practical Guide, offers realistic advice to law students interested in judicial clerkships and to recently hired clerks looking for practical advice for their new jobs.  The book covers the basic role of judicial clerks, how to apply, refreshers on legal research and writing, advice on drafting various court documents and professionalism and ethics. 

Authored by three former judicial clerks, Mary Dunnewold, Beth Honetschlager, and Brenda Tofte, this book recommended to those interested  in judicial clerkships and recently hired clerks.

This book can be viewed and borrowed at the Ramsey County Law Library.  Come visit us on the 18th floor of the Ramsey County Courthouse.

The recent economic crisis has brought about significant changes in compensation of employees at law firms.  The revised fifth edition of Compensation Plans for Law Firmsoffers guidance on how to establish a fair and competitive compensation plan for your firm.  The book features valuable data from leading consulting firms, featuring charts and graphs that will help you see where your firm stands on salaries and bonuses. 

This valuable reference will help you develop a compensation program that conveys fairness, simplicity, and flexibility that will strike a good balance within your firm.

This book can be viewed and borrowed at the Ramsey County Law Library.  Come visit us on the 18th floor of the Ramsey County Courthouse.

The term “judicial activism” is often used when assessing judges, and phrases like “activist judges”  are haphazardly bandied about with little analysis.   It is a phrase most use subjectively , and many judicial critics say they know it when they see it.  What  does judicial activism actually mean and how do we measure it?

In Measuring Judicial Activism, authors Stefanie A. Lindquist and Frank B, Cross attempt to apply non-ideological terms to identify specific empirical dimensions to the concept, and measure those dimensions using systematic tools.  After getting past the detailed, yet interesting definition and quantitative measures that make up judicial activism, the authors apply their analysis to recent justices on the Court.   I suspect that you will be surprised which justices end up at the top and bottom of the activism scale.

This book can be viewed and borrowed at the Ramsey County Law Library.  Come visit us on the 18th floor of the Ramsey County Courthouse.

On May 4, 2010, the Ramsey County Law Library was gifted a new book published by the Minnesota Supreme Court Historical Society.  The book is entitled “Testimony: Remembering Minnesota’s Supreme Court Justices.”    The Honorable Edward C. Stringer awarded the book to John Trojack, Ramsey County Law Library Board Chair.  Other law library board members attending the ceremony were Judge Margaret Marrinan, Commissioner Janice Rettman (who facilitated the event which took place before the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners), and Tom Boyd, who is a member of the law library board and the Minnesota Supreme Court Historical Society.  Law library director Sara Galligan also participated in the event. 

The book is a collection of memorials of all deceased supreme court justices to date.  It covers a wealth of biographical and institutional history.  Some of the past justices included in the book were former judges for the District Court of Ramsey County.  The event was part of the law library’s celebration of “Law Day,” with it theme “Law in the 21^st Century:  Enduring Traditions, emerging Challenges.”