Daniel A. Farber – författare

Would you want to be operated on by a surgeon trained at a medical school that did not evaluate its students? Would you want to fly in a plane designed by people convinced that the laws of physics are socially constructed? Would you want to be tried by a legal system indifferent to the distinction between fact and fiction? These questions may seem absurd, but there are theories being seriously advanced by radical multiculturalists that force us to ask such questions. These scholars assert that such concepts as truth and merit are inextricably racist and sexist, that reason and objectivity are merely sophisticated masks for ideological bias, and that reality itself is nothing more than socially constructed mechanism for preserving the power of the ruling elite.In Beyond All Reason, liberal legal scholars Daniel A. Farber and Suzanna Sherry mount the first systematic critique of radical multiculturalism as a form of legal scholarship. Beginning with an incisive overview of the origins and basic tenets of radical multiculturalism, the authors critically examine the work of Derrick Bell, Catherine MacKinnon, Patricia Williams, and Richard Delgado, and explore the alarming implications of their theories. Farber and Sherry push these theories to their logical conclusions and show that radical multiculturalism is destructive of the very goals it wishes to affirm. If, for example, the concept of advancement based on merit is fraudulent, as the multiculturalists claim, the disproportionate success of Jews and Asians in our culture becomes difficult to explain without opening the door to age-old anti-Semitic and racist stereotypes. If historical and scientific truths are entirely relative social constructs, then Holocaust denial becomes merely a matter of perspective, and Creationism has as much "validity" as evolution. The authors go on to show that rather than promoting more dialogue, the radical multiculturalist preference for legal storytelling and identity politics over reasoned argument produces an insular set of positions that resist open debate. Indeed, radical multiculturalists cannot critically examine each others' ideas without incurring vehement accusations of racism and sexism, much less engage in fruitful discussion with a mainstream that does not share their assumptions. Here again, Farber and Sherry show that the end result of such thinking is not freedom but a kind of totalitarianism where dissent cannot be tolerated and only the naked will to power remains to settle differences.Sharply written and brilliantly argued, this book is itself a model of the kind of clarity, civility, and dispassionate critical thinking which the authors seek to preserve from the attacks of the radical multiculturalists. With far-reaching implications for such issues as government control of hate speech and pornography, affirmative action, legal reform, and the fate of all minorities, Beyond All Reason is a provocative contribution to one of the most important controversies of our time.

Judgment Calls tackles one of the most important and controversial legal questions in contemporary America: How should judges interpret the Constitution? Our Constitution contains a great deal of language that is vague, broad, or ambiguous, making its meaning uncertain. Many people believe this uncertainty allows judges too much discretion. They suggest that constitutional adjudication is just politics in disguise, and that judges are legislators in robes who read the Constitution in accordance with their own political views. Some think that political decision making by judges is inevitable, and others think it can be restrained by "strict constructionist" theories like textualism or originalism. But at bottom, both sorts of thinkers believe that judging has to be either tightly constrained and inflexible or purely political and unfettered: There is, they argue, no middle ground. Farber and Sherry disagree, and in this book they describe and defend that middle ground. They show how judging can be--and often is--both principled and flexible. In other words, they attempt to reconcile the democratic rule of law with the recognition that judges have discretion. They explain how judicial discretion can be exercised responsibly, describe the existing constraints that guide and cabin such discretion, and suggest improvements. In exploring how constitutional adjudication works in practice (and how it can be made better), Farber and Sherry cover a wide range of topics that are relevant to their thesis and also independently important, including judicial opinion-writing, the use of precedent, the judicial selection process, the structure of the American judiciary, and the nature of legal education. They conclude with a careful look at how the Supreme Court has treated three of the most significant and sensitive constitutional issues: terrorism, abortion, and affirmative action. Timely, trenchant, and carefully argued, Judgment Calls is a welcome addition to the literature on the intersection of constitutional interpretation and American politics.

The Civil War brought pressure on the Constitution that had never been seen before and hasn't been seen since, testing it in much the same way as an engineer tests his materials to destruction to assess their structure. Did the South have the right to secede? Did Abraham Lincoln trample on the Bill of Rights? Can the president go to war without congressional approval? What is the nature of the Union, and what are the limits of states' rights? Forced to confront these issues during the Civil War, Lincoln ran squarely into the conflicts and the issues at the heart of our constitution, issues that remain with us today. Daniel Farber's purpose in "Lincoln's Constitution" is to lead the reader to understand exactly what Lincoln did, what arguments he made in defence of his actions, and how his words and deeds fit into the context of the times. Farber sets the constitutional problems that arose during Lincoln's term within their historical moment, as illuminated by recent work by historians, and investigates how well Lincoln's views hold up today - over a century later.The answers are crucial not only for a better understanding of the Civil War but also for shedding light on issues that the courts struggle with now: state sovereignty, presidential power, and national security limitations on civil liberties. The first book in over 75 years to evaluate Lincoln's legal legacy comprehensively, "Lincoln's Constitution" is a blend of history and constitutional thought. Written for the intelligent reader, its insights speak urgently to us as our nation again finds itself in a time of danger and the limits of constitutional law are once more being tested.

In Lincoln's Constitution Daniel Farber leads the reader to understand exactly how Abraham Lincoln faced the inevitable constitutional issues brought on by the Civil War. Examining what arguments Lincoln made in defense of his actions and how his words and deeds fit into the context of the times, Farber illuminates Lincoln's actions by placing them squarely within their historical moment. The answers here are crucial not only for a better understanding of the Civil War but also for shedding light on issues-state sovereignty, presidential power, and limitations on civil liberties in the name of national security-that continue to test the limits of constitutional law even today.

In Law and Public Choice, Daniel Farber and Philip Frickey present a remarkably rich and accessible introduction to the driving principles of public choice. In this, the first systematic look at the implications of social choice for legal doctrine, Farber and Frickey carefully review both the empirical and theoretical literature about interest group influence and provide a nonmathematical introduction to formal models of legislative action. Ideal for course use, this volume offers a balanced and perceptive analysis and critique of an approach which, within limits, can illuminate the dynamics of government decision-making. "Law and Public Choice is a most valuable contribution to the burgeoning literature. It should be of great interest to lawyers, political scientists, and all others interested in issues at the intersection of government and law."--Cass R. Sunstein, University of Chicago Law School

In Law and Public Choice, Daniel Farber and Philip Frickey present a remarkably rich and accessible introduction to the driving principles of public choice. In this, the first systematic look at the implications of social choice for legal doctrine, Farber and Frickey carefully review both the empirical and theoretical literature about interest group influence and provide a nonmathematical introduction to formal models of legislative action. Ideal for course use, this volume offers a balanced and perceptive analysis and critique of an approach which, within limits, can illuminate the dynamics of government decision-making. “Law and Public Choice is a most valuable contribution to the burgeoning literature. It should be of great interest to lawyers, political scientists, and all others interested in issues at the intersection of government and law.”—Cass R. Sunstein, University of Chicago Law School

This text takes on the critical controversies in environmental law in the late 1990s: how to assess the values of future environmental benefits; how to use economic measurements of environmental values; and how to streamline the regulatory process to respond to changing scientific data. Daniel Farber steers a middle course between the "bean counters," who advocate strict cost-benefit analysis, and the "tree huggers," who favour environmental protection at any cost. The book explores fundamental issues in environmental economics, the philosophical disputes over the legitimacy of cost-benefit analysis, and the legal issues involved in applying and interpreting complex environmental statues. Synthesizing the best of our existing regulatory regime, Farber's analysis cuts a path through the thickets surrounding environmental policy.

Irreverent, provocative, and engaging, Desperately Seeking Certainty attacks the current legal vogue for grand unified theories of constitutional interpretation. On both the right and the left, prominent legal scholars normally try to build all of constitutional law from a single foundational idea, Daniel Farber and Suzanna Sherry find that in the end no single, all-encompassing theory can successfully guide judges or provide definitive or even sensible answers to every constitutional question. Their book brilliantly reveals how problematic foundationalism is and shows how the pragmatic, multifaceted common law methods already used by the Court provide a far better means of reaching sound decisions and controlling judicial discretion than do any of the grand theories.

Irreverent, provocative, and engaging, Desperately Seeking Certainty attacks the current legal vogue for grand unified theories of constitutional interpretation. On both the right and the left, prominent legal scholars normally try to build all of constitutional law from a single foundational idea, Daniel Farber and Suzanna Sherry find that in the end no single, all-encompassing theory can successfully guide judges or provide definitive or even sensible answers to every constitutional question. Their book brilliantly reveals how problematic foundationalism is and shows how the pragmatic, multifaceted common law methods already used by the Court provide a far better means of reaching sound decisions and controlling judicial discretion than do any of the grand theories.

The Elgar Encyclopedia of Environmental Law is a landmark reference work, providing definitive and comprehensive coverage of this dynamic field. Each volume probes the key elements of law, the essential concepts, and the latest research through concise, structured entries written by international experts. Each entry includes an extensive bibliography as a starting point for further reading. The mix of authoritative commentary and insightful discussion will make this an essential tool for research and teaching, as well as a valuable resource for professionals and policymakers.Climate Change Law, the first volume of the Elgar Encyclopedia of Environmental Law, provides a guide to the rapidly evolving body of legal scholarship relating to climate change. The amount of international, European and national legislation, judicial decisions, and legal scholarship in the field of climate law has now become almost overwhelming. This book focuses on the underlying concepts that are of concern to researchers, students and policymakers rather than on the details of national legislation. The core topics include the difficulty of setting up a coherent international treaty approach, the importance of national and subnational legal action, the potential role of international and national courts, and the importance of human rights and environmental justice. Providing a comprehensive discussion, more than 50 entries developed by experts from across the world cover mitigation and adaptation issues in their wider context, from both international and national perspectives. Each chapter concludes by identifying important research challenges. Finally, the concluding chapter argues that a discernible global legal regime is emerging. The 2015 Paris Agreement marks both the increasingly interlinked but polycentric nature of this new regime.This is the definitive resource for all those seeking the state of the art of climate change law, from students and legal scholars to practising lawyers, civil servants and NGOs.Contributors include: D. Badrinarayana, D. Benson, W.W. Buzbee, M.R. Caldwell, A.E. Camacho, H.S. Cho, R.K. Craig, B. Curtis, J. Dafoe, P. DeArmey, J. de Cendra de Larragán, J.C. Dernbach, N. de Sadeleer, M. Doelle, W.T. Douma, D.M. Driesen, B. Egelund Olsen, K.H. Engel, D.A. Farber, Heline Sivini Ferreira, S. Ferrey, S.R. Foster, D. French, P. Galizzi, M.B. Gerrard, N.S. Ghaleigh, M. Hall, S.B. Hecht, D. Hodas, T. Honkonen, S.-L. Hsu, A. Jordan, A. Kaswan, A. Keessen, S.-H. Kim, S. Krakoff, K. Kulovesi, M.A. Livermore, K. Lu, J. Lueders, R. Lyster, M.L. Melius, Z. Meng, H.M. Osofsky, J. Peel, M. Peeters, B. Pontin, L. Rajamani, A.W. Reitze Jr, J. Reynolds, B.J. Richardson, F. Romanin Jacur, T.Schomerus, J. Scott, D.A. Serraglio, F. Sindico, M.P. Solis, B.K. Sovacool, P.-T.Stoll, L.G. Sun, T. Tang, A.D. Tarlock, Q. Tianbao, X.F. Torrijo, H. van Asselt, M. van Rijswick, M.P. Vandenbergh, R.R.M. Verchick, C. Voigt, X. Wang, M. Wilensky, K.M. Wyman, Y. Zhang

Public choice theory has become an increasingly significant aspect of public law scholarship. A more comprehensive knowledge of public institutions and their activities can illuminate our understanding of how legal rules shape the behavior of these institutions. This volume gathers together key papers highlighting the fundamental issues in the evolution of this subject. Besides providing an appreciation of the institutional complexity and potential weak points of democracies, public choice theory promises to show how political structures and processes shape outcomes for better or for worse. It thereby aids understanding and improvements to institutional design. Much of that design is expressed in the form of law, so the subject is of particular importance to legal scholars. This authoritative selection of articles provides a firm foundation to this important area of study.

Public choice theory sheds light on many aspects of legislation, regulation, and constitutional law and is critical to a sophisticated understanding of public policy. The editors of this landmark addition to the law and economics literature have organized the Handbook into four main areas of inquiry: foundations, constitutional law and democracy, administrative design and action, and specific statutory schemes. The original contributions, authored by top scholars in the field, provide helpful introductions to important topics in public choice and public law while also exploring the institutional complexity of American democracy.Beginning with a critical introduction to the core tenets of public choice theory and concluding with comprehensive analyses of drug safety, energy regulation, and environmental law, the Handbook provides differing points of view on the foundations of these and a range of related subjects, including: direct democracy and its financial implications, the functioning of electoral processes, judicial behavior, and the structural differences between presidential and parliamentary systems. The Handbook's knowledgeable contributors offer a rich, realistic view of how public policy is made that is accessible to a broad range of readers. Summarizing much of the key literature in a range of major topics and framing that literature for open debates and further research, the Handbook is ideal for students and scholars of law, political science, and economics. Contributors: D. Carpenter, S. Croley, D.A. Farber, E. Garrett, J.E. Gersen, T. Ginsburg, R.M. Hills, Jr, S. Issacharoff, T. Jacobi, J. Mashaw, L. Miller, A.J. O'Connell, B.D. Richman, J. Rossi, C.H. Schroeder, M.L. Stearns, M.C. Stephenson, J.B. Wiener

The field of disaster law has witnessed a huge surge in interest over the past few years. Building widespread recognition of the shortcomings of legal systems faced with disasters, academics have increasingly turned their attention to exploring how these failings can be addressed. This volume is a carefully selected collection of essays which focus on the legal and economic aspects of disaster law and pays particular attention to the legalities of catastrophes. The editors have brought together seminal papers analysing how disasters, both natural and man-made, could be prevented and investigating the ways in which compensation for such events could be provided.This set of indispensable papers examines such issues through a variety of analytical lenses and provides a solid foundation for future developments in this dynamic and highly topical subject.