Legal Research

New Acquisitions in June

Here is the list of new titles the Law Library acquired in June 2010: June 2010 Acquisitions.pdf

The list also is available on the Library's home page.

New titles for June include:

Stoitchkova, Desislava. Towards corporate liability in International criminal law / Desislava Stoitchkova. Antwerp ; Portland : Intersentia, c2010.
K1329.5 .S76x 2010

Publisher's Description: The need for more stringent regulation of multinational corporations (MNCs) is discernible in the adverse human rights impact of business activities in conflict-prone regions of the world.

Domestic jurisdictions appear reluctant to vigorously pursue mandatory enforcement of human rights standards vis-à-vis the private sector for violations committed abroad. The international system, in turn, has not yet put in place any effective compliance mechanism beyond regulatory supervision. The difficulties of prosecution by home and host states, and the propensity of MNCs to exploit the principles of separate legal personality and limited liability, pose certain challenges.

Seeking to address the problem of corporate involvement in grave human rights abuse, i.e. genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, this study explores the desirability and feasibility of subjecting business enterprises to regulation through international criminal law.

It draws upon holistic methods for uncovering organisational fault, suggesting the necessity to align the culpability of legal persons with the peculiarities of institutional form and dynamics. The study discusses the instrumentality of existing Rome Statute provisions with regard to both corporations and corporate agents, and puts forward a sui generis model for constructing the criminal liability of MNCs.

Skerker, Michael. An ethics of interrogation / Michael Skerker. Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 2010.
HV8073.3 .S57 2010

Publisher's Description: The act of interrogation, and debate over its use, pervade our culture, whether through fictionalized depictions in movies and television or discussions of real-life interrogations on the news. But despite daily mentions of the practice in the media, there is a lack of informed commentary on its moral implications. Moving beyond the narrow focus on torture that has characterized most work on the subject, An Ethics of Interrogation is the first book to fully address this complex issue.

In doing so Michael Skerker confronts a host of philosophical and legal issues, from the right to privacy and the privilege against compelled self-incrimination to prisoner rights and the legal consequences of different modes of arrest, interrogation, and detention. These topics raise serious questions about the morality of keeping secrets and the differences between state power at home and abroad. Thoughtful consideration of these subjects leads Skerker to specific policy recommendations for law enforcement, military, and intelligence professionals.

Kimmelman, Jonathan. Gene transfer and the ethics of first-in-human research : lost in translation / Jonathan Kimmelman. Cambridge, UK ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2010.
RB155.8 .K56 2010

Publisher's Description: Human gene transfer is widely regarded as a promising approach for treating a variety of disorders, but its development presents a number of difficult ethical challenges.

Gene Transfer and the Ethics of First-in-Human Research uses the example of gene transfer to examine the ethical and policy dimensions of testing novel interventions in human beings for the first time. The book argues that many ethical frameworks devised for randomized controlled trials translate awkwardly to early phase human studies of novel therapies. Major issues discussed include: when to initiate human testing, how to obtain valid consent, managing public expectations, defining acceptable risk, and recruiting economically disadvantaged persons in early phase trials.

This book is relevant to ethicists, legal practitioners, policy makers, geneticists, and researchers involved in clinical trials of novel medical interventions.

Eskridge, William N. A republic of statutes : the new American Constitution / William N. Eskridge Jr. and John Ferejohn. New Haven [Conn.] : Yale University Press, c2010.
KF4550 .E837 2010

Publisher's Description: William Eskridge and John Ferejohn propose an original theory of constitutional law whereby, while the Constitution provides a vision, our democracy advances by means of statutes that supplement or even supplant the written Constitution.

Full post as published by LexLibris on July 06, 2010 (boomark / email).