Law's Infamy: Understanding the Canon of Bad Law

Laws and their implementation are actively shaping the course of our nation, but the stories we tell of their failures rarely label them in the language of infamy. Laws Infamy seeks to alter this by making legal actions and decisions the subject of an inquiry about infamy, demonstrating how legal institutions engage in infamous actions and urging scholars and activists to label them as such. This is a much-needed addition to the broader conversation and questions surrounding laws complicity in evil.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 21 December 2021
Publisher: New York University Press

From the tragic murder of George Floyd to the systematic erosion of voting rights, our laws and their enforcement have played a pivotal role in shaping the course of our nation. However, even when a legal decision is deeply flawed, such as Dred Scott v. Sanford or Plessy v. Ferguson, the narratives we construct to explain its shortcomings often focus on its injustice rather than labeling it as infamous. Yet, in many instances, infamy is an integral part of the story that law tells about citizens' behavior. These stories of individual infamy serve to stigmatize and ostracize individuals, marking them as inherently different and unredeemable.

Laws Infamy aims to challenge this narrative by placing legal actions and decisions under the lens of inquiry into infamy. Collectively, the essays in this volume demonstrate how legal institutions themselves engage in infamous actions and urge scholars and activists to label them as such. By highlighting the damage caused when law acts infamously, this project seeks to shift the focus toward infamous decisions that deserve to be repudiated.

Law's Infamy poses a crucial question: when and why should the word "infamy" be used to describe legal decisions or actions? This book offers a much-needed addition to the broader discourse surrounding laws' complicity in evil. It prompts us to examine the circumstances under which the label of infamy is appropriate and to critically assess the consequences of such decisions. By recognizing the infamous nature of certain legal actions, we can better understand the ways in which law contributes to injustice and work towards reforming systems that perpetuate harm.

In conclusion, Laws Infamy is a thought-provoking and essential contribution to the study of law and society. By examining the role of infamy in legal decisions and actions, this book sheds light on the ways in which law can perpetuate harm and contribute to injustice. It encourages scholars and activists to challenge the narratives we construct about law and to demand accountability from legal institutions. As we navigate the complex and often fraught terrain of law and society, it is imperative that we remain aware of the infamous decisions that shape our world and work towards a more just and equitable future.

Weight: 446g
Dimension: 229 x 152 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781479812097