The Court and the World

Short Review: This is a fairly technical book. But it is a fascinating look from inside the judicial system at how globalization and the modern reality of international commerce, travel and relationships have forced the justice system to interact with international law. This book is responding to complaints by judicial critics that US judges should not reference international law in their judgements.

Breyer starts with 9 chapters detailing the current state of how US courts interact with international law and works his way through the legal precedent of how US courts came to this place. It is only then that he really confronts the reason for the book. Then there are two short chapters about how US judges can be helpful to diplomacy and the spread of the rule of law around the world.

It is a worthwhile look for those of us that are not lawyers or judges to see how the court systems work and how the system of understanding legal language and the working through of precedent and history.

My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/the-court-and-the-world/