Local Government Law

Law students are increasingly drawn to local government law as an alternative to federal partisan gridlock. This law school casebook is built around three central thematic issues in the field: (1) How much power should cities have, relative to states or the federal government (the decentralization question)? (2) How can cities coordinate with each other across a city-suburb divide, in the context of regional inequality, racial segregation, and sprawl? (3) How should city governments be structured and managed internally, in terms of raising revenue, delivering services (including police), attracting jobs, and voting? The casebook answers these questions using case law as well as excerpts from the urban studies literature (including history, political science, sociology, and planning). The new edition retains the original vision and structure of this casebook, while also offering a comprehensive doctrinal update of fast-moving questions like the state/local preemption wars, as well as new material related to gentrification, racial segregation, the abuse of power through local fines and fees, and conflicts over policing. It is well suited to mixed classrooms with law and non-law students.