The History of Ohio Law

In the two-volume The History of Ohio Law, distinguished legal historians and practicing Ohio attorneys and judges present the history of Ohio law and the interaction between law and society in the state. The first complete history of Ohio law in nearly seventy years---and the most comprehensive compilation on any state's law---its twenty-two essays range from the history of Ohio's constitutional conventions and legal institutions to the history of substantive areas of law as disparate as civil procedure, evidence, land-use, civil liberties, and utility regulation. The essays describe Ohio's legal institutions, legal procedures, and the substance of Ohio law as it has changed over time. Other essays describe how social, cultural, political, and economic institutions have affected Ohio law and how the law has affected them. The essays provide important legal information to practitioners and offer attorneys, legal scholars, historians, and the public with a broad understanding of the relationship between law and society in Ohio. Going beyond the technical law, The History of Ohio Law deals with the intersections between law and race, gender, and labor. Insightful essays also discuss the development of Ohio's legal literature, the impact of federal courts, and Ohio's most important contributions to American constitutional development. Written by leading lawyers and historians, The History of Ohio Law will be the indispensable reference and invaluable first source to learn about law and society in Ohio. This book is part of the Ohio University Press Series on Law, Society, and Politics in the Midwest, Paul Finkelman, series editor.Michael Les Benedict is professor of history at Ohio State University. He is a noted scholar of American legal and constitutional history and the author of many books and articles on the subject, including The Blessings of Liberty, a leading constitutional history textbook. John F. Winkler was born in Gallipolis, Ohio. A graduate of Yale College, he has graduate degrees from McGill and Harvard, and a law degree from Ohio State. Mr. Winkler has a civil litigation law practice in Columbus.-