Rhetorical Traditions and Contemporary Law

This volume uses significant texts in rhetoric to interpret contemporary legal texts, expanding the conversation between law and rhetoric.

Brian N. Larson (Edited by), Elizabeth C. Britt (Edited by)

9781009524094, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 22 May 2025

322 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.636 kg

Rhetorical Traditions and Contemporary Law is a collection of twelve case studies that explore the often-overlooked intersections of law and rhetoric. Drawing from rhetorical traditions of the past and present, the multidisciplinary roster of contributors analyzes contemporary legal theory and practice, from judicial opinions to legal scholarship, using significant texts or concepts in a rhetorical tradition. Their essays demonstrate how legal texts function and to what end, while also considering how they might have worked differently. The volume sheds light on the usefulness of rhetoric in addressing some of today's most pressing legal and social challenges. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Part I. Introduction: 1. Rhetoric and law Elizabeth C. ('Beth') Britt and Brian N. Larson
Part II. Key Rhetorical Concepts Animating Contemporary American Law: 2. The ethos of originalism Mark A. Hannah and Francis J. Mootz III
3. The role of tradition in classical and contemporary argument Vasileios Adamidis and Laura Webb
4. Practical reason in peril Brian N. Larson
Part III. Façade of Neutrality: 5. Deciphering Dobbs Susan Tanner
6. Eradicating ethos Jennifer Andrus
Part IV. Permeable Boundaries: 7. Searching for legal topoi in the shadow docket M. Kelly Carr
8. Sensus communis, voter-inflicted harms, and Schuette v. BAMN Laura J. Collins
9. (Vernacular) rhetorics for women's rights Rasha Diab
10. to stop-and-frisk, a pattern for persuasion Lindsay Head
Part V. Law's Power to Exclude Voices: 11. Framing the war on drugs Erin Leigh Frymire
12. Ensnared by Custom Judy M. Cornett
13. Dissoi logoi, rhetorical listening, and legal education Elizabeth C. Britt
Part VI. Looking Outward and Forward: 14. An unconventional call for proposals Brian N. Larson and Elizabeth (Beth) C. Britt
Index.

Subject Areas: Jurisprudence & general issues [LA]