Law Professors Three Centuries of Shaping American Law

by Stephen Presser

There is no nation in which the teachers of law play a more prominent role than in the United States. In this unique volume Stephen Presser, a law professor for four decades, explains how his colleagues have both furthered and frustrated the American ideals that ours is a government of laws not men, and that our legal system ought to promote justice for all. In a dazzling review of three centuries of teaching about American law, from Blackstone to Barack Obama, Presser shows how these extraordinary men and women shaped not only our law, but also our politics and culture.

“The natural audience for this book is academics, members of the bar and law students. For these last in particular, it may become essential reading. Law professors like putting their students through the hoops by asking them bewildering questions; Mr Presser’s book does a good job of distilling what is actually being taught. . . . America is consumed by serious legal debates about issues, what the law says, what people think the law should say―and whether that is law. This may be the book that comes closest to spelling out what is really being argued. . . .”
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“Even more improbable is how a book about three centuries of law professors could be enjoyable. Yet it is. Every rising law student in the United States should read it as a primer; experienced legal educators should consult it to refresh their memory about the history and purpose of their profession.”
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“ Law Professors is an exceptionally fine book – written in a sprightly style, well-illustrated and containing (as befits a scholarly tome) a detailed index. Displaying an easy but encyclopedic mastery of legal history, Presser covers American law from its English common law roots to the present . . . . Throughout, Presser demonstrates impressive erudition and fair-mindedness, analyzing the evolution of American law and legal education since colonial times. . . . Presser dispenses with the jargon and pretense so typical of law review articles, explaining with elegant simplicity such concepts as natural law, common law, civil law, formalism, legal realism, “critical legal studies,” “law and economics,” originalism, and critical race theory. . . . unique, highly readable, and informative. . . ."
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Genres: Law, History

502 pages, Hardcover

Published December 2, 2016

Reviews

[Jacob Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grabbed a copy of this after seeing the review in the Economist, and mentally prepared myself for a couple weeks of getting weird looks whenever I had to answer the question “what are you reading currently?” I was hoping for an introduction to various theories about how to interpret the law, placed in their historical context, and I’m reasonably satisfied.

The author makes clear that he admires conservative legal theories more than those that are currently in vogue. Part of his purpose is to criticize trends that he believes pose a danger to limited government and the rule of law. This perspective does not prevent him from providing informative and intriguing introductions to the works of several progressive figures. For the most part it’s an engaging book, filled with tantalizing references to other works that should serve as interesting jumping-off points for deeper exploration.

[Mark Peebler · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book that I wish everyone would read. Insightful at times, especially in the chapters concerning Blackstone, Holmes, and one of our current maladies, the Critical Legal Studies Movement; other chapters like those on Eliot and Williams could have used more editing. Overall, the book shows the general decline in American Jurisprudence over time through the influence of law professors and activist judges, including the Warren Court, who have stripped from the Constitution much of the original meaning that made These United States so great.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a good book, but unnecessarily partisan. I get it, Mr. Presser. You're not an Obama fan. No need to repeat it so much. The discussion at times moves from being a critical analysis of a school of thought to something more caustic, which only detracts from point the author is trying to make. On the other hand the description and comparisons of legal scholars of the past 300 years in one place is truly great. Worth a read.