Conundrums, puzzles, and perversities: these are Leo Katz's stock-in-trade, and in "Why the Law Is So Perverse", he focuses on four fundamental features of our legal system, all of which seem to not make sense on some level and to demand explanation. First, legal decisions are essentially made in an either/or fashion - guilty or not guilty, liable or not liable, either it's a contract or it's not - but reality is rarely as clear-cut. Why aren't there any in-between verdicts? Second, the law is full of loopholes. No one seems to like them, but somehow they cannot be made to disappear. Why? Third, legal systems are loath to punish certain kinds of highly immoral conduct while prosecuting other far less pernicious behaviors. What makes a villainy a felony? Finally, why does the law often prohibit what are sometimes called win-win transactions, such as organ sales or surrogacy contracts? Katz asserts that these perversions arise out of a cluster of logical difficulties related to multicriterial decision making. "Why the Law Is So Perverse" contains lucid explanations and apt examples that show why the perversity of the law resists any easy resolutions.

About the Author
Leo Katz is the Frank Carano Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He is the author of Bad Acts and Guilty Minds: Conundrums of the Criminal Law and Ill-Gotten Gains: Evasion, Blackmail, Fraud, and Kindred Puzzles of the Law, both published by the University of Chicago Press.

Reviews
"Leo Katz wisely peppers his puzzles with humor, jokes, miniplays, and thoughtful warnings of difficult passages to come (along with welcome invitations to skip ahead) that temper this otherwise demanding volume and make following the twists and turns of the argument well worth the challenge. And for those for whom puzzling is a pleasure in itself, the book will be a feast." (Boston Globe) "Mr. Katz unravels the logical tangles with clarity, humor and a light touch - a testament to the quality of his writing." (Wall Street Journal) "Why the Law Is So Perverse is a terrific book. It is original in its general conception and creative in all the particularities of its execution. And in bringing the social choice argument to the law and legal problems, Leo Katz has made an important and novel academic contribution." (Bruce Chapman, University of Toronto)"



Book Information
ISBN 9780226005812
Author Leo Katz
Format Paperback
Page Count 256
Imprint University of Chicago Press
Publisher The University of Chicago Press
Weight(grams) 369g
Dimensions(mm) 23mm * 15mm * 2mm