Here are several general American Legal Culture Questions to be
answered.  If you're up for the task, you'll be $50 richer.  Expires:
10pm, Nov. 14, 2002
(1) What are the elements of a legal system? (structure, culture, etc)
(2) What is American Legal Culture?  Why do people study it?
(3) Are we a nation subject to the rule of law or rule of men?
(4) Discuss the concepts of higher law, limitied government, due
process and consent of the governed as the basis of legal obligation
as reflected in American legal culture and history.  Examples.
(5) Discuss the roots of the American Legal System and sources of
American Law (inherited culture and indigenous environment)  How has
the latter impacted the former? (industrialization?  Urbanization?)
(6) Why was the Mayflower Compact significant?
(7) Why do we need law?
(8) What is constitutional law?
(9) Waht is constitutionalism?
(10) The Salem Witch trials were an important point in American Legal
history and a coninuing part of American legal and political culture. 
Discuss.
(11) How did the American revolution and the American Civil War effect
the development of American Law?
(12) What is wrong with the American legal system and how can it be
improved?
(13) How is the criminal justice system reflective of American
democracy?
(14) Why is the US a republic and not a democracy?
(15) How is the American court system organized?
(16) Discuss how current events reflect the tension between rights and
responsibiltiies, security and liberty, individualism and community
(17) Define, misdeamenaor, felony, civil vs. criminal law, prosecutor,
US Attorney, appellate, Artice III, Brown v. Bd of Ed, Miranda, rights
if the accused, "jurismania"
(18) What are the key differences between the adversarial and
inquisitorial legal systems?  What are the strengths and weaknesses of
each?
(19) What are the 3 fundamental responsibiltiies of the US Supreme
Court?
(20) Was 12 angry men an example of jury nullification?
(21) Explain the differences in the selection and appointment of state
and federal jusges and prosecutors - What are some pros and cons
(22) Erin Brocovich reflects American Legal Culture and Tannen's views
on its problems how?

---

Request for Question Clarification by rbnn-ga on 13 Nov 2002 08:55 PST

Who's "Tannen"?

If you had asked all these questions seperately at, say, $5 - $10
each, you might have had a better chance of getting them answered, Any
one researcher might not fancy doing them all, but as a group we would
probably have covered them quicker, given that some of them require a
lot of work in "essay" type answers.

(The reason I didn't answer is that I'm not American, so was a bit
vague on some of them, but there were quite a few I could have done if
they were seperate questions)

willie-ga

I don't expect 1 page long answers for each question.  Some are just
definitions.  This is geared to anyone who has ONE hour to make it
happen and knows a little about the American Legal System.