David A. Dittfurth
Published: 1999
Total Pages: 312
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This book contains explanations of topics covered in the beginning law school course in civil procedure. The difficult topics of subject matter jurisdiction, personal jurisdiction, and the Erie doctrine are covered at length. The book begins with an introduction to law study and an overview of procedure in federal trial courts, covering such topics as standing to sue and the justiciability doctrines. Subsequent chapters discuss pleadings, motions, parties, claims, discovery, and trial.The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure serve as the model procedural code in this book as they do in most civil procedure books. However, before describing the application of various Rules, the author explains the constitutional scope of federal judicial power and details the constraints on any court's jurisdiction over defending parties. The author also stresses the interplay of procedural and substantive law.This book introduces the reader to the complexities of federal jurisdiction and procedure and contains a sufficient wealth of detail to serve as a reference. It explains federal procedure in a way that makes the subject accessible to those who have no background in procedure. The book provides summaries to introduce the reader to the essential rules needed for analysis; in addition, hypothetical problems are posed and answered to show how those rules and case decisions can be used.