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About the Book

Criminal Law: Cases and Materials

Front Cover - Criminal Law: Cases and Materials

Sixth Edition

John Kaplan
Late of Stanford University

Robert Weisberg
Stanford University

Guyora Binder
State University of New York at Buffalo

2008. 1,088 pages. ISBN: 978-0-7355-6835-8.
With Teacher’s Manual.


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About the Book

In Criminal Law: Cases and Materials, Sixth Edition, interesting, well-edited cases and notes address contemporary cutting-edge issues, while vivid excerpts evoke the social, political, and criminological context of criminal law.

Features that have made this a distinctive book:

  • exceptional authorship--the late John Kaplan was a legendary teacher and scholar, and Robert Weisberg and Guyora Binder continue to uphold his standard of excellence
  • an interdisciplinary approach that fuels class discussion and enriches study
  • clear instructions on statutory construction and element analysis
  • well-edited cases, dynamic materials, lucid explanations and illuminating exercises
  • a logical organization that starts with the purposes and limits of punishment and proceeds through the elements of a criminal offense, homicide offenses, justification and excuse, and the rules of attribution
  • cutting-edge coverage of controversial social and legal issues
  • in-depth treatment of the death penalty, rape, and other forms of sexual assault

The exciting Sixth Edition heralds a cavalcade of Supreme Court decisions:

  • a special section on Blakely v. Washington and Booker v. United States--how the Supreme Court's new Sixth Amendment jurisprudence has effected sentencing law
  • new cases deciding on cutting-edge issues, including: 
    *crimes of passion--the location and duration of constructive possession 
    *the mental elements of offenses--arising out of statutes criminalizing material support for foreign terrorist organizations
    *accomplice liability for felony murder (People v. Cavitt)
    *the death penalty (Kansas v. Marsh and Roper v. Simmons) 
    *reasonable self-defense standards for subcommunities with distinctive cultures (Dixon v. United States)
    *a defendant's due process rights to an insanity defense (Clark v. Arizona)
    *obstruction of justice laws in the corporate context (United States v. Arthur Anderson LLP)

Preface / Sample Chapters