14. Robert S. Summers, Law
Form and Function in a Legal System: A General Study (Cambridge University Press, 2006). What is a legal system? It cannot be reduced to a mere system of rules. In a book ten years in the making, Summers challenges long-held views on the nature of the law and illuminates neglected issues in jurisprudence. The book addresses three major questions about law and legal systems: What are the defining and organizing forms of institutions, legal rules, interpretive methodologies, and other legal phenomena? How does a systematic focus on these forms advance understanding of such phenomena? What credit should the functions of forms have when such phenomena serve policy and related purposes, rule-of-law values, and fundamental political values such as democracy, liberty, and justice? With insightful answers to these questions, Summers’ book is set to become a classic in the field.