5.0 out of 5 stars A book on law and justice that non-lawyers can enjoy, December 27, 2011
By John D. White
This review is from: Justice in America: How it Works – How it Fails (Paperback)
The previous reviews express well my own pleasure in reading Moran’s excellent book. I am a retired instructor of U.S. history and government issues both in high school and college. As I read it, I often thought that this accessible work could serve as an introduction and review to inspire students. The issues it covers suggest lively topics for research projects and term papers. Fresh cases from the news remind the reader that justice requires attention to changes in society. Current justice issues demand consideration based on equity rather than mere review of past concerns. Kudos to Moran for a readable contribution to better thinking by all of us, and not just by prosecutors, judges and legislatures.
5.0 out of 5 stars Required Reading for Americans, October 9, 2011
By Phil Boyle
This review is from: Justice in America: How it Works – How it Fails (Paperback)
“Justice in America: How it Works, How it Fails,” offers us a behind-the-scenes civics lesson on the American judicial system the way it is rather than the way we would like it to be. Extremely well-researched and written, the book gives us unique insights into a system that was the very basis upon which our nation was founded. I highly recommend Russell Moran’s “Justice in America” for lawyers and non-lawyers alike. Whenever I finish a book, I ask myself what it taught me. Even as an attorney and state legislator for many years, “Justice in America” has taught me – and it will teach you – a great deal!
5.0 out of 5 stars An Intelligent and Conversational Primer of the American System of Justice, September 16, 2011
By Vickie Cella
This review is from: Justice in America: How it Works – How it Fails (Paperback)
I was not looking to read a book on law, but I decided to read Justice in America when it was recommended to me by a friend. I’m glad I did. While I’m not totally ignorant of our legal system, this book was an eye-opener for me. It is really a primer on our system of justice for the layperson. The author does not assume that the reader is a lawyer, and sets forth some very complicated material in with conversational style, laced with a lot of humor. He starts the book with some challenging scenarios to get the reader thinking about the very concept of justice, and how we perceive it. The chapter about the details of the courts and the legal system was a bit dry, but I pushed through it because the information it contained was an education in itself. I found the chapter on the history of Supreme Court decisions fascinating, and a bit upsetting. I had no idea how political the Supreme Court can be. The chapter on torts was also enlightening. It was a tour through the busiest part of the court system. Judges and lawyers were always a bit of a mystery to me, at least how they work professionally. Moran solves the mystery, and humanizes both professions. He isn’t afraid to offer criticism, sometimes severe, sometimes very funny, but never unfair. He obviously respects his fellow lawyers, but throws a punch when he sees necessary. I now know more about judges than I ever thought to ask, including details on how they get their jobs, how they are paid, and how they perform their jobs. I enthusiastically recommend this book to anyone who ever wondered how the American system of justice really works. A top notch job
Irresistible reading!, August 8, 2011
By Skipper
This review is from: Justice in America: How it Works – How it Fails (Paperback)
I have just finished Russell Moran’s “Justice in America…” and cannot praise its content, style and message highly enough. As a layman with perhaps an interest in our judicial system only a notch or two higher than a motorist receiving a speeding citation, it is the rare pleasure of finding a book truly difficult to put down that has moved me to write an enthusiastic review.
Mr. Moran exhibits that uncommon quality that makes even a casual reader feel he is being spoken to simply and directly. Missing is that self-inflating oratory that some attorneys use to create complexity out of simplicity when practicing their chosen profession.
As I said in the beginning, I cannot recommend this enlightening little home-grown American book highly enough. Try it, and I think you will agree. Kudos, Mr. Moran!
5.0 out of 5 stars Justice in America: This book works for me, July 21, 2011
By Fr Rick
This review is from: Justice in America: How it Works – How it Fails (Kindle Edition)
I downloaded the Kindle version of “Justice in America”, and enjoyed its content and style.Not being a lawyer, this book was a great inside look into history and current flow of our American system of Justice. Mr Moran’s points and view are very clear,and his good humor also shows through.
If I find a consistent point of view in this book: That our human capacity towards making just and fair decisions is easy eroded by simple rules such as “zero-tolerance”, and “3 strikes and your out” actually remove human from making just decisions. Thus Justice, through the law, is best served by a solid frame works of laws which demands our best thinking and decision making. Anything else can lead to greater in-justice.
Recommended!
5.0 out of 5 stars Review of Justice in America by Russell F. Moran, September 14, 2011
By Robert L. Shearer
This review is from: Justice in America: How it Works – How it Fails (Paperback)
Review of Justice in America by Russell F. Moran
This is the most engaging description of the Law that I have ever read. Mr. Moran shows the intricacies of legal issues (that turn out to be personal, social, and economic issues after all is said and done) clearly. His personal ideological leanings are transparent, which I appreciate, but do not get in the way of the reader’s understanding. On the matter of rising interest in the selection of judges–elections, appointments by panels, or political dictates–Mr. Moran’s exposition of the pros and cons is lucid, balanced, and helpful.
I would happily recommend this short book to anyone interested in going to law school and anyone else who would like to make sense out of the news. Thanks to Russell Moran for giving us this insightful and delightful read.
With the author, I’m putting my money in tulips!
5.0 out of 5 stars Justice in America: How it Works – How it Fails, September 6, 2011
By James D. Sutton
This review is from: Justice in America: How it Works – How it Fails (Paperback)
An entertaining and informative book providing the reader with insights on our American legal system. Moran highlights in a humorous & intelligent way, the fairness and frustrations anyone could encounter with the law and why we arrive at decisions that sometimes seem at odds at what should have happened in a perfect world. Clearly Moran cares deeply about the American justice system and the issues that threaten the quality of the work performed on behalf of its citizenry. This book should be a “must read” for any student contemplating a career in the legal profession. An enjoyable read I know I will reference again and again in the years ahead. James D. Sutton, President, J.F. Sutton Insurance Agency – New York.
5.0 out of 5 stars Frank Orzo, September 6, 2011
By FrankNY
This review is from: Justice in America: How it Works – How it Fails (Paperback)
“Moran has written a book about what some may consider a complex, byzantine-type subject and humanized it. He explains in simple examples and anecdotal references – to which we can all relate – the process of the justice system in the US. It is also written in a conversational and entertaining style that made me want to keep reading to peel back the layers of this very broad topic. I hope he will continue to educate, enlighten and entertain.”
5.0 out of 5 stars Stimulating read!, August 19, 2011
By Joseph Perino, Ph.D. (NY)
This review is from: Justice in America: How it Works – How it Fails (Paperback)
Justice in America How it Works – How it Fails by Russell F. Moran is an illuminating synopsis of our judicial system. The author is uniquely qualified for such an endeavor since he is an attorney, a publisher and former editor-in-chief of The New York Jury Verdict Reporter. He brings to the reader an assessment of the workings of the American legal system and explores how our methods differ from the rest of world.
The book is simultaneously simple and complex. To read this well researched book one does not have to know the difference between a tort and a tart. However, upon completion, a newbie or a seasoned attorney will come away with a wealth of knowledge. He describes the selections of judges, their salaries and how they come to their decisions. In actuality, he covers the entire judicial process.
The book is written in a conversational tone. The narrative vicariously includes the reader to become part of the system. As you read through the text you will be surprised as to what defines justice and fairness. When you examine some of the decisions that have been passed down you will find it to be thought provoking and at times stunning.
The book tweaks the imagination to the point that the reader has to ponder if true justice exists. Moran is clever when he implies that justice is a matter of perspective and perception rather than an absolute principle.
Many readers will be especially interested in chapter 12 where Moran covers the subject of torts. He defines a tort as a civil wrong which also may be a crime. This gives the reader a bird’s eye view of personal injury law. Since most of us have had or know someone who has had experience with personal injury cases, such as car accidents, slip and fall, medical malpractice, defective products, etc., this section will be especially enjoyable.
If you want a fresh perspective of how our legal system works (and doesn’t) this book will give you the opportunity to view it from many angles. The book has a very stimulating and exceptional delivery. Once I opened the book I couldn’t put it down. I highly recommend this creative work.
4.0 out of 5 stars Mystery no more, August 14, 2011
By Steve
This review is from: Justice in America: How it Works – How it Fails (Paperback)
John Grisham novels about the justice system are popular mysteries and now Russell Moran has written a popular book about the justice system that’s not a mystery! You’d think we would know a bit more from our civics lessons about how the judicial branch of government works in this country. Fortunately, “Justice in America” aims to help us with that, by shining some clear light on all the judicial and legal goings on. Once again, we see, through Mr. Moran’s narrative, that mass culture’s view, in this case, of “justice” in America, is not always coupled with reality. This book is sometimes brutally frank and to the point and blows the powder out of those arcane judicial wigs!
5.0 out of 5 stars Justice in America, August 11, 2011
By bhlaw
This review is from: Justice in America: How it Works – How it Fails (Paperback)
This book is both thought provoking and fun to read. Whether you are a layperson or a lawyer practicing before judges, as I am, you will learn how the judges in our country are selected, and come to appreciate the pitfalls to obtaining truly wise, even-dispositioned people to sit on the bench. How the judge is appointed in the first place – whether appointed or elected- and the term of that appointment – whether for life or for a set term- affects how justice is dispensed. The salary of judges – often very underpaid relative to the opportunities of private practice- futher plays a role in determining the people who will decide the fate of litigants and how the law of the land is applied. Moran does a great job researching how justice (or lack of it) is tweaked by the very basic process of judicial selection. I recommend this book to anyone with an inquisitive mind who wants to know more about our judicial system.
Thanks for the research and analysis!
5.0 out of 5 stars Justice in America EXPOSED!!!, August 10, 2011
By Tom Cilmi
This review is from: Justice in America: How it Works – How it Fails (Paperback)
As an elected official in the Suffolk County Legislature, I was very interested to dig in to this critical, historic work by Russell Moran. Moran delivers a concise, interesting perspective on the judiciary in the United States. I particularly liked the sub-heads within each chapter which helped make this a particularly easy read. Justice defined. System defined. Judges defined. This is a comprehensive, yet remarkably quick read for anyone interested in the judicial system. Whether you’re a student or an accomplished attorney…whether you fancy yourself a future justice or someone who just wants to know how it all works, this is a great book for you. I highly recommend it.
Well Thought Out, Well Researched, July 28, 2011
5.0 out of 5 stars Well Thought Out, Well Researched, July 28, 2011
By Eric Buehler
This review is from: Justice in America: How it Works – How it Fails (Paperback)
I recently purchased a copy of Russell Moran’s new book “Justice In America” because of my fascination with the American judicial system. I consider myself fairly knowledgable on law, but I am certainly not an academic or an attorney for that matter.
Mr. Moran has written a concise and extremely well-researched tome outlining how our legal system attempts to deliver justice; the education, training, vocation, and compensation of judges; torts; and the Supreme Court and their handling of several critical doctrines. Also included as reference (smartly I might add) is the United States Constitution – the very words this country lives by which, though written in black and white, now seem to have an endless grey area.
Mr. Moran has developed an educated yet easy-to-read book for the layman who wants to further his or her knowledge of the American legal system. Mr. Moran takes the simple premise “Do good and avoid evil” (the premise of any factual law book) and uses his wisdom as an attorney and court report publisher to accurately explain how and when justice is served in our country, or if it is simply a threatened enitity like an endandgered animal.
I would highly recommend “Justice in America” to anyone with an interest in our justice system
5.0 out of 5 stars A Remedial Course for the Powerful; A Tutorial for the Unenlightened, October 29, 2011
By Robert Banfelder “Award-winning Author (Riverhead, NY: Spearhead of the North and South Forks of Long Island)
This review is from: Justice in America: How it Works – How it Fails (Paperback)
“Justice In America: How It Works – How It Fails” pays tribute to the immortal words of Winston Churchill given during his 1947 House of Commons speech: “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” Russell F. Moran, Esquire navigates the neophyte as well as advanced students and practitioners of law through a labyrinth of what might otherwise prove to be an arcane maze. No pupil, lawyer or judge knows it all. Russell Moran–lawyer, journalist, founder and former publisher of the New York Jury Reporter–has pretty much covered it all. In a 206-page eye-opener, Moran has concisely and with acuity cut to the chase with remarkable clarity concerning matters of grave importance, which he often tempers with humor. The mix is marvelous; its juxtaposition delightful. The author’s magic is that he is able to take what is often presented in a stodgy style, livening up the prose with analogies and metaphors that shed light for the layman. Understanding complex issues is a godsend, and Moran delivers. In a nutshell, “Justice in America” is a fountain of knowledge introduced in digestible doses. Considering the negative argument of Moran’s thesis, I use the word doses because there is just so much a novice can handle in reading of those who sit in the seat of power–namely judges, magistrates and puisne Justices of the Peace–who have as much wherewithal as a wasp but can wreak just as much havoc. I use the word doses, too, for those who know the score yet act (act being the operative word) powerless to do anything about it.
When you reach the final page of “Justice In America: How It Works – How It Fails,” you realize, if you haven’t beforehand, the impact of Churchill’s words, spoken well over half a century ago. Over the course of years, many have spouted that what this country needs is a benign dictator. However, Moran challenges us to name one. Court historians (intellectual bodyguards of our United States) acknowledge that Abraham Lincoln was a dictator. However, that certain sect of historians continues to preserve the concept that Lincoln was benign. Good ol’ Abe threw the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights out the window, along with the baby and the bathwater–thereby dividing a nation. Due process was abandoned and cost the lives of well over 600,000 men. Oh, Moran is so correct. Name one benevolent dictator.
Mr. Moran concludes with a caveat. The Framers of the Constitution, our Founding Fathers, wrote in clear and concise language. Reinterpreting that language or ignoring it altogether is at our own peril. Are we at a crossroad in America? Although Moran believes that justice in America is alive and well, the author is warning us to be careful, for the road to perdition (although he doesn’t directly name the material used) is paved with good intentions
5.0 out of 5 stars Andrea Rubin-de-Cervens – Exceptional !,March 26, 2012
By Andrea Rubin-de-Cervens (East Islip, New York United States)
This review is from: Justice in America: How it Works – How it Fails (Paperback)
How I wish this book was in print when I was in law school! Some thirty years later I can still recall with trepidation the cases cited by Moran in Justice in America and the confusion I felt in class trying to understand the issues. Here, though, the author provocatively explores them in a straightforward, easy to grasp manner, raising as many questions as answers.
Because Justice addresses many modern day issues it is so much more than simply a law school primer. Moran examines, among other things, such weighty topics as the economic meltdown. As a real estate attorney I read with relish his chapter on the real estate market. He accurately describes what a “starter house” used to mean (“The most attractive thing about the house is that you could afford it”) and what it meant just before the bubble burst (“…your starter house becomes your dream house. The basic requirement for qualifying for a mortgage in 2004 was that you had a pulse.”) Interestingly, he explores the reasons for housing crisis, while simultaneously raising and weaving a tapestry of ethical considerations.
Not only does Moran present these topics he, more importantly, provides the framework for truly understanding their significance. For instance, his reference to the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act”, popularly known as “Obamacare”, is attached to a discussion of the Constitution’s Commerce Clause. For those following the challenges to this law and the impending U.S. Supreme Court decision, Moran shows us that the Act’s relevance is more than simply a fight across the aisles of Congress. Just this past week, The New York Times ran an article about the significance of Wickard v. Filburn on the health care debate, a case which Moran adroitly explores in depth in Chapter 11. Likewise, Chapter 12, The Wild World of Torts, lays the groundwork for understanding legal claims, such as products liability, negligence, etc., while discussing popular cases like the McDonald’s “hot coffee case”. Moran colorfully and effortlessly brings these cases to life in ways none of my law professors ever could.
And, perhaps the best part of reading Justice is the author’s playful, humorous tone throughout. I laughed out loud reading about Sister Mary Agnes and what she knew. I certainly won’t tell; you will have to read Justice in America, for yourself! And for those of you who have already read this book and can’t get enough, I would suggest your exploring online the equally impressive The Moran Report, […]. Kudos to Russell F. Moran on a job well done!
A Sharp-Eyed Look at the Legal System with a Good Dose of Humor,January 14, 2012
By Kathleen Fox
This review is from: Justice in America: How it Works – How it Fails (Paperback)
I am an attorney myself, and was pleased that this book, written by a lawyer, did not read like a legal brief. The author writes with a wry sense of humor that sheds a bright light on complex matters. This book is a must for anyone who is looking for a well-researched primer on the American justice system, written with an engagingly light touch. It should be required reading for a beginning law student, or any student interested in studying law. It is also a treasure trove for the inquisitive layperson. The first chapter examines the question of just what is this thing called justice. He recounts a series of vignettes about justice delivered – or withheld — that amuse, educate, and shock. Moran’s survey of Supreme Court decisions for the last half century could be an introduction to constitutional law. His critique of our over-regulated society is dead on. I loved his chapter entitled: “What Sister Mary Agnes Knew That We Have Forgotten.” It is a somewhat sarcastic look at the strictures that well-intended laws placed on the American education system. I don’t practice personal injury law, and appreciated his chapter on torts – the largest part of our legal system. He throws a few literary punches at both judges and lawyers, but, on balance, provides the reader with an evenhanded view. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
To purchase the book, click here https://www.createspace.com/3637622