8.17.24 - Books I'm reading and a proposed 0L Summer Reading list
- The Penguin History of Europe (will probably read all the way through)
- The Rise and Fall of Great Powers (will almost certainly read only a couple of chapters).
I've been on a European History kick since 1L, since the origins of American common law is so tied up with European history.
I've been reading a lot of about the Saxon migrations, the feudal system, and the importation of English property law into the United States. I will share a bit on this later. What's important is that I've enjoyed this process, but I'm a bit embarrassed that I didn't know a lot of this earlier. One thing that has struck me is that American law students generally don't get a foundation in our civilizational history.
Like, I think in Law School I got one powerpoint lecture about the Norman Conquest. What's worse is that this is against the backdrop of law students not necessarily needing to know anything about government or history. You could theoretically go to law school as a STEM Major who hasn't learned anything about government since your Gen Ed intros freshman year.
Hell, people hardly know American history, let alone any English history.
I know my law school assigned some trendy DEI book for my orientation before 1L fall. I don't remember what the hell it was about, other than yeah, there is structural racism in society (shocking news). If I were in charge, I would assign some basic overview of the origins of the English common law for students over the summer. Maybe some bigger picture piece on, you know, the LAW. For one thing, I think it would make 1L less bewildering. Students enter law school genuinely not understanding what the fuck is going on, what the common law is, how cases make law, etc.
Here's a proposed summer reading list:
- Fukuyama, Origins of the Political Order, Chapter 17, Origins of the Rule of Law (nice big picture history)
- James Kent, Commentaries on American Law, lecture 52 (traces how English feudal law connects to American law, wrt Property
- some DEI article to satisfy the BAR requirements and expectations of polite society
- something from Justice Story's commentaries on the Constitution
What, is this too crazy? Is this too old school? Not with the times? I'm sure they used to expect people to read some shit like this. Didn't people to use to read like, Blackstone's Commentaries?
Oh none of this really matters and you just want to get your J.D. to do transactions at V100. Fuck me I guess. I guess I'll go pound sand.
one day we'll all be free.
knxnts