Encyclopedia of U.S. law
American Jurisprudence is an encyclopedia of the United States law, published by West.
It was originated by Lawyers Cooperative Publishing, which was subsequently acquired by the Thomson Corporation.
The series is now in its second edition, launched in 1962.
It is a staple of law libraries, and the current edition is over 140 volumes, updated with replacement volumes, annual pocket supplements, and a New Topic Service binder.
The discussion has extensive research references to other Thomson West publications, including sister publications Am.
Jur.
Trials, Am.
Jur.
Proof of Facts, Am.
Jur.
Pleading and Practice Forms, and Am.
Jur.
Legal Forms. Before Thomson's acquisition of West Publishing, it was a competitor to Corpus Juris Secundum. Am.
Jur. is available online through both Westlaw, and LexisNexis.
Judges as part of a political process
Political jurisprudence is a legal theory that some judicial decisions are best understood as part of a political process, with judges operating as political actors.
That is, judges are sometimes influenced by public opinion, political activists, and government officials, and their work can be understood as a way of legitimizing and institutionalizing the preferences of these political actors.