Randy E. Barnett

Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Legal Theory Randy E Barnett

In this provocative and engaging new book, Randy Barnett outlines a powerful and original theory of liberty structured by the liberal conception of justice and the rule of law. Drawing on insights from philosophy, political theory, economics, and law, he shows how this new conception of liberty can confront, and solve, the central societal problems of knowledge, interest, and power. - ;What is liberty, as opposed to license, and why is it so important? When people pursue happiness, peace, and prosperity whilst living in society, they confront pervasive problems of knowledge, interest, and power. These problems are dealt with by ensuring the liberty of the people to pursue their own ends, but addressing these problems also requires that liberty be structured by certain rights and procedures associated with the classical liberal conception of justice and the rule of law. In this controversial new work, Barnett examines the serious social problems that are addressed by liberty and the background or `natural' rights and `rule of law' procedures that distinguish liberty from license. He goes on to outline the constitutional framework that is needed to protect this structure of liberty. This is the only discussion of the liberal conception of justice and the rule of law to draw upon insights from philosophy, economics, political theory, and law to describe comprehensively the vital social functions performed by adherence to these concepts. And, although the book is intended to challenge specialists, its clear and accessible prose ensure that it will be of immense value to both scholars and students working in a range of academic disciplines. -

Justice and the Rule of Law

The Structure of Liberty

The Presumption of Liberty

Restoring the Lost Constitution

Securing the Liberty and Sovereignty of We the People

Our Republican Constitution

The Ninth Amendment and Constitutional Interpretation, Volume II

The Rights Retained by the People

What is liberty, as opposed to license, and why is it so important? When people pursue happiness, peace and prosperity whilst living in society, they confront pervasive problems of knowledge, interest, and power. These problems are dealt with by ensuring the liberty of the people to pursue their own ends, but addressing these problems also requires that liberty be structured by certain rights and procedures associated with the classical liberal conception of justice and the rule of law. In this controversial new work, Barnett examines the serious social problems that are addressed by liberty and the background or 'natural' rights and procedures that distinguish liberty from license. He goes on to outline the constitutional framework that is needed to protect this structure of liberty. This is the only discussion of the liberal conception of justice and the rule of law to draw upon insights from philosophy, economics, political theory, and law. And, although the book is intended to challenge specialists, its clear and accessible prose ensure that it will be of immense value to both scholars and students working in a range of academic disciplines.

The Structure of Liberty: Justice and the Rule of Law

Written by the leading expert in the field, The Oxford Introductions to U.S. Law: Contracts provides students with ready access to the basic doctrines of contract law, the story behind their evolution, and the rationales for their continued existence. An engaging book that allows students to grasp the "big picture" of contract law, it is organized around the principle that lies at the heart of contracts: consent. Beginning with the premise of "consent," the book provides a cohesive framework in which to understand the various aspects of contract law.

Contracts

The Oxford Introductions to U.S. Law

Evan D. Bernick

Randy Barnett and Evan Bernick return to the primary sources on the origin, drafting and adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment to better understand its original meaning. Arguing that it protected principles of Republican citizenship, fundamental rights and civic equality, they propose workable doctrines for implementing these principles in practice.

Its Letter and Spirit

The Original Meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment

A renowned constitutional scholar and a rising star provide a balanced and definitive analysis of the origins and original meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment. Adopted in 1868, the Fourteenth Amendment profoundly changed the Constitution, giving the federal judiciary and Congress new powers to protect the fundamental rights of individuals from being violated by the states. Yet, according to Randy Barnett and Evan Bernick, the Supreme Court has long misunderstood or ignored the original meaning of the amendment’s key clauses, covering the privileges and immunities of citizenship, due process of law, and the equal protection of the laws. Barnett and Bernick contend that the Fourteenth Amendment was the culmination of decades of debates about the meaning of the antebellum Constitution. Antislavery advocates advanced arguments informed by natural rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the common law. They also utilized what is today called public-meaning originalism. Although their arguments lost in the courts, the Republican Party was formed to advance an antislavery political agenda, eventually bringing about abolition. Then, when abolition alone proved insufficient to thwart Southern repression and provide for civil equality, the Fourteenth Amendment was enacted. It went beyond abolition to enshrine in the Constitution the concept of Republican citizenship and granted Congress power to protect fundamental rights and ensure equality before the law. Finally, Congress used its powers to pass Reconstruction-era civil rights laws that tell us much about the original scope of the amendment. With evenhanded attention to primary sources, The Original Meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment shows how the principles of the Declaration eventually came to modify the Constitution and proposes workable doctrines for implementing the key provisions of Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment.

A collection of seminal writings on the history and meaning of the Ninth Amendment, reflecting a diverse cross-section of scholarly opinion. From the Introduction by Randy E. Barnett: "I suggest that the failure to find a 'general right of freedom' in the Constitution is connected to a general inability to understand the Ninth Amendment's declaration that 'the enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.'" Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The History and Meaning of the Ninth Amendment

Nathan B. Oman

Contracts: Cases and Doctrine features a mix of lightly-edited classic and contemporary cases that stresses current contract doctrine along with the essential lawyering skill of case analysis—how to sift through the facts of the case to discern the prevailing rules and theory. Randy Barnett and Nate Oman’s innovative text introduces each case and provides the historical background of the iconic cases that make the study of contract law engaging. Study Guide questions help students identify salient issues as they read each case. Judicial biographies of each judge provide additional context. The Seventh Edition has been edited to delete materials that are seldom covered in a 1L class. This edition adds new cases that have been chosen for their topicality, facts, or pedagogical usefulness. New areas covered include so-called “smart contracts” and the relationship between restitution and contract. As always, we have tried to focus on cases with facts that will be easier to teach. New cases in this edition include a contract with a spy that turns out to be a double agent for the KGB, the effect of pandemics on contractual obligations, the gambling shenanigans of a royal prince, and emotional support animals. New to the Seventh Edition: In order to keep the size of the book manageable, we have eliminated the section on the signature requirement under the statute of frauds and have slimmed down the materials on internet contracting, which is no longer the “cutting edge” area that once it was. New cases include: Attorney General v. Blake (restitution damages for breach of contract against a British spy who defected to the USSR) Snepp v. United States (squib) (constructive trust against an American spy for breach of contract) Al-Ibrahim v. Edde (denied an unjust enrichment remedy to unwind a contact declared unenforceable for illegality) Pelletier v. Johnson (claim for unjust enrichment allowed to unwind a contract declared unenforceable for illegality) Carter Baron Drilling v. Badger Oil Corp. (discussing the parole evidence rule under the UCC) C.R. Klewin Inc. v. Flagship Properties, Inc. (the exception to the 1-year requirement under the statute of frauds) Cohen v. Clark (case imposing liability on a breaching party that everyone agrees breached in “good faith”; illustrates the strictness of contractual liability) Hanford v. Connecticut Fair Ass’n, Inc. (public policy exception for public health in time of a pandemic) B2C2 Ltd v. Quoine Ltd Pte (unilateral mistake case dealing with “smart contracts”) Professors and student will benefit from: Case-based approach that gives students ample doctrinal materials to sift through for facts and analyze for prevailing rules and theory. Cases that are lightly edited, or presented as whole as possible, to give first-year students the opportunity to develop case-analysis skills. Restatement and UCC sections integrated to encourage students to consult them as they read the cases. Iconic and contemporary cases combined to show how the classic cases are still relevant. Chapters that begin with a brief, accessible textual introductions. Study Guide questions before each case help focus student attention on salient issues. Flexible organization begins with Remedies, but chapters can be taught in any order.

Cases and Doctrine

Josh Blackman

This multimedia platform combines a book and video series that will change the way you study constitutional law. An Introduction to Constitutional Law teaches the narrative of constitutional law as it has developed over the past two centuries. All students—even those unfamiliar with American history—will learn the essential background information to grasp how this body of law has come to be what it is today. An online library of sixty-three videos (access codes provided with purchase of the book) brings the Supreme Court’s one hundred most important decisions to life. These videos are enriched by photographs, maps, and even audio from the Supreme Court. The book and videos are accessible for all levels: law school, college, high school, home school, and independent study. Students can read and watch these materials before class to prepare for lectures or study after class to fill in any gaps in their notes. And, come exam time, students can watch the entire canon of constitutional law in about twelve hours.

100 Supreme Court Cases Everyone Should Know

An Introduction to Constitutional Law

The U.S. Constitution found in school textbooks and under glass in Washington is not the one enforced today by the Supreme Court. In Restoring the Lost Constitution, Randy Barnett argues that since the nation's founding, but especially since the 1930s, the courts have been cutting holes in the original Constitution and its amendments to eliminate the parts that protect liberty from the power of government. From the Commerce Clause, to the Necessary and Proper Clause, to the Ninth and Tenth Amendments, to the Privileges or Immunities Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, the Supreme Court has rendered each of these provisions toothless. In the process, the written Constitution has been lost. Barnett establishes the original meaning of these lost clauses and offers a practical way to restore them to their central role in constraining government: adopting a "presumption of liberty" to give the benefit of the doubt to citizens when laws restrict their rightful exercises of liberty. He also provides a new, realistic and philosophically rigorous theory of constitutional legitimacy that justifies both interpreting the Constitution according to its original meaning and, where that meaning is vague or open-ended, construing it so as to better protect the rights retained by the people. As clearly argued as it is insightful and provocative, Restoring the Lost Constitution forcefully disputes the conventional wisdom, posing a powerful challenge to which others must now respond. This updated edition features an afterword with further reflections on individual popular sovereignty, originalist interpretation, judicial engagement, and the gravitational force that original meaning has exerted on the Supreme Court in several recent cases.

Randy E. Barnett

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