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NJC produces and features quality books by authors from around the nation. To order an NJC publication, fill out the NJC Press Order Form.

Resource Guide for Managing Complex Litigation
William J. Brunson, Esq.
The Trial Judges’ Resource Guide on Complex Litigation (the Guide) was a collaborative effort. The National Judicial College (the NJC) and the Advisory Committee members for the Guide recognized that the Federal Judicial Center’s Manual for Complex Litigation, Fourth, (the Manual) is an invaluable resource for federal judges who handle mass tort cases, class actions, and other complex cases.

The Guide was drafted using the Manual as a model. Information in the Manual that is equally applicable to state court complex litigation is included in the Guide. Matters a judge should consider and procedures a judge should follow are presented in a step-by-step format. Further information a judge might find useful is included in notes in the text. Other resources deemed helpful to judges handling complex cases are referenced throughout the Guide and Web addresses for these resources are included in the text, as well as in an Appendix to the Guide.

177 pages softcover / First 300 copies are free + shipping

Presiding over a Capital Case: A Benchbook for Judges
William J. Brunson, Esq.
Daphne A. Burns, Esq.
Robin E. Wosje, Esq.
As the U.S. Supreme Court enunciated nearly 40 years ago, the death penalty is "qualitatively different from a sentence of imprisonment, however long.” Because of that qualitative difference, judges who preside over death penalty cases have a responsibility to assure that all phases of the trial satisfy a higher level of due process and scrutiny than that of non-capital cases. The judge-authors of these chapters not only have expertise presiding over numerous death penalty trials, they also have a breadth of experience from teaching The National Judicial College course on capital cases in partnership with states from coast-to-coast, and to individual judges from across the country at the Reno-based course.

Chapters in Presiding over a Capital Case: A Benchbook for Judges include a constitutional law overview; case management; pretrial discovery and motions; media relations and pretrial coordination; jury selection; trial issues unique to capital cases; mental retardation; the penalty phase; post-conviction relief; and federal habeas corpus.

With the judicial expertise and experience these authors bring to bear, this benchbook offers trial judges a tremendous resource to help them provide the reliability that is demanded of death penalty trials.

490 pages softcover / $25

Anatomy of a Trial: Public Loss, Lessons Learned from The People vs. O.J. Simpson
Jerrianne Hayslett
The People vs. O.J. Simpson ranks indisputabley as the trial of the century. It featured a double murder, a celebrity defendant, a perjuring witness, and a glove that didn’t fit. The trial also shaped the judicial
system, the media and the public’s access to the courts. Now an insider at the trial reveals the untold story of the most widely followed trial in American history and the indelible impact it has had on the judiciary, the media and the public.

272 pages softcover / $28

Inherent Powers of the Court
Felix F. Stumpf
In this 2008 revision of Felix F. Stumpf’s book on Inherent Powers of the Court, originally published in 1994, Mr. Stumpf has retained the major outlines of the subject matter of the earlier edition. Although there is a short historical and general overview, the coverage is principally a division of inherent powers cases in four major categories: Separation of Powers, Court Governance, Implementation or Conduct of the Adjudicative Function and Logistical Support.

202 pages softcover / $60

Logic and Legal Reasoning
Professor Douglas Lind
The newest edition of this book builds on Professor Lind’s efforts to provide the best and latest methods to intertwine logical legal arguments in an easily accessible format. Lind illustrates logical principles with relevant cases and literary works. Through the cases, Professor Lind demonstrates how judges can integrate logic into their decisions. The reader is guided through logical principles and learns how to identify logical fallacies.

410 pages softcover / $48

Judicial Discretion: A Text
J. Eric Smithburn
This text provides a scholarly yet practical examination of the meaning of discretion, why discretion exists, the levels of discretion, and the standard by which to define and review the abuse of discretion. While judges and legal scholars will continue to wrestle with the appropriate use of discretion, this seminal unprecedented work will be a timely resource to guide any analysis and application of judicial discretion.

320 pages softcover / $60

Search & Seizure Sourcebook for State Judges
Kenneth R. Evans
In Search and Seizure, A Sourcebook for State Judges, Professor Kenneth R. Evans presents a unique book designed to spotlight the intricacies of the United States Supreme Court and state Supreme Court decisions on search and seizure issues. His correlation of states cases with those of the nation’s highest court is an innovation that distinguishes Professor Evans’ book from other works on the topic. In addition, he provides valuable checklists and forms.

684 pages softcover | $60

International Child Custody Cases:
Handling Hague Convention Cases in U.S. Courts
Judge James D. Garbolino
Judge James D. Garbolino's book, International Child Custody Cases: Handling Hague Convention Cases in U.S. Courts, provides judicial officers hearing Hague Convention cases with a reference resource. Judge Garbolino has written and lectured extensively on the Hague Convention in the United States and Europe. In September, 2000, he attended an international conference on the Hague Convention in Washington, D.C. as the chief U.S. delegate. In his Foreword, Judge Garbolino says:

"In the short time the Hague Convention has been in force in the United States, a substantial body of case law has developed, providing foundation for application of the Convention."

The Hague Convention was adopted to compel the expeditious return of children wrongfully removed from their habitual residence. If you have an international custody case in your court, having quick access to how U.S. courts have dealt with the myriad legal as well as the diverse factual issues that can arise in child custody litigation is critical.

273 pages softcover | $35.00

Writing Deskbook for Administrative Judges:
An Introduction
by Michael H. Frost and Paul A. Bateman
Writing Deskbook provides administrative judges (and their supervisors) with general guidelines for insuring that administrative decisions are of uniformly high quality and clarity. In explaining how to make decisions more readable, this book is unique in its focus on those parts of the decision that are most critical to the litigants and to reviewing courts. Designed as a practical guide to the decision writing process, the deskbook provides advice, guidelines and checklists for busy administrative law judges.

Additional information about this book

Order from the Carolina Academic Press

2010, $25.00, 136 pp, paper, ISBN 978-1-59460-666-3