Legislative Law and Process in a Nutshell (In a Nutshell (West Publishing)) [Paperback]

Jack Davies (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 031416751X | ISBN-13: 978-0314167514 | Publication Date: January 17, 2007 | Edition: 3rd

This book authored by a longtime legislator, law professor, appellate judge and volunteer lobbyist provides a pragmatic view of how state legislatures operate. It gives a behind the scenes look at the fascinating and little understood intellectual journey that is the legislative process. This book helps its readers understand how hard thought and hard work turn first draft legislative ideas into effective laws. It describes the process used by all legislative institutions to refine bills, and examines the tactics of advocates that speed or impede legislation. The dynamic life of legislative law after enactment is detailed, including how agencies, local governments and businesses use statutes and how citizens, lawyers and courts adjust legislative words to fit life's realities. The third edition of this popular book retains the practical insights of the previous editions and adds descriptions of the profound impact the Internet and cell phones have had on the daily work of the legislature (for both outsiders and insiders). It also analyzes the influence and probable life expectancy of the bitter political partisanship of recent years.

Product Details

• Paperback: 346 pages
• Publisher: West; 3rd edition (January 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031416751X
• ISBN-13: 978-0314167514
• Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 4.8 x 7.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #568,193 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent nuts and bolts overview, March 1, 2011

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Paul Turpin - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Legislative Law and Process in a Nutshell (In a Nutshell (West Publishing)) (Paperback)

I use this as a reference book in my Master's graduate seminar in Political Communication. It's an excellent overview of the practical nuts and bolts of state legislation, pitched at a general enough level that makes it widely applicable. The book's strengths lie in its account of how state legislators are go-betweens (political entrepreneurs, literally) who rely on the specialized knowledge of lobbyists to craft legislative language. The book clearly makes the point that legislators need input, so advocacy groups who may oppose given legislation need to have a clear presence and good arguments to act as their own lobby.

The weakness of the book is the limit of its scope. This is not so much a criticism of what the book does, and does well, as it to note that significant ideological division in a state legislature can render the pragmatic orientation of the book moot.