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Jonathan Sumption
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Law in a Time of Crisis Hardcover – 11 Mar. 2021

by Jonathan Sumption (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 175 ratings

Brexit, the possible break-up of the UK, pandemics, this is a country in crisis. In crises the law sets the boundaries of what the government can and should do. But in a country without a written constitution such as the UK, the precise limits between legal obligation and convention can be hazy. Conventions, such as the Prime Minister being an MP, can not be enforced in the same way as laws.

What are the limits of law in politics? What is the relationship between law and the constitution? Is not having a constitution a hindrance or a help in time of crisis? Former supreme court judge Jonathan Sumption wrestles with past, current and potential crises that this increasingly divided country faces. From the role of the Supreme Court to the uses of referenda to the rise of nationalisms within the United Kingdom, Sumption exposes the subtleties, uses, and abuses of legal and judicial interventions. With razor sharp intelligence and far-reaching analysis he counsels caution both in our impulse to radically upend the system and to challenge results that we may not be what we want.

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  1. Print length
    256 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Profile Books
  4. Publication date
    11 Mar. 2021
  5. Dimensions
    14.4 x 2.6 x 22.2 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    1788167112
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1788167116
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Product description

Review

time spent on Law in a Time of Crisis is time spent in the company of a brilliant mind considering interesting thing ... any person of broadly liberal instinct will find much in this enjoyable book to agree with and much that can improve one's way of thinking and of making an argument -- Daniel Finkelstein ― the Times

Sumption has always been more than just a lawyer. For many years he was the brilliant QC and then Supreme Court justice who somehow found time on the side to write a definitive, multivolume history of the Hundred Years War: a true Renaissance man -- David Runciman ― Guardian

Thoughtful, stimulating and even entertaining ... Lord Sumption's opinion is always worth listening to, even - or especially - if one disagrees with it. -- Robert Tombs ― Telegraph

Praise for Trials of the State:

Brisk, entertaining, brilliant ... one of the great lawyers of our time

-- Bryan Appleyard ― Sunday Times

Magisterial -- Edward Fennell ― The Times

Elegant and crisply argued (Best Politics and Current Affairs Books of 2019) -- Robbie Millen ― The Times

The book is hard going, but rewarding. Sumption ... leads his readers persuasively to positions which, when they stop to think, they may not find comfortable -- Michael Fry ― The National (Scotland)

Sumption examines the increasingly difficult relationship between government and the courts... a former Supreme Court judge,[he] seems rather gloomy about democracy's future, but has produced a very readable analysis (The best current affairs and politics books of 2019) -- Roland White ― Sunday Times

Book Description

What is the right relationship between the law and politics, judges and politicians?

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Profile Books
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 11 Mar. 2021
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ Main
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1788167112
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1788167116
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 426 g
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 14.4 x 2.6 x 22.2 cm
  • Customer reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 175 ratings

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Jonathan Sumption

Jonathan Sumption

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4.5 out of 5 stars
175 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's pacing positive, with one review noting its brilliant essays and well-documented opinions. They also appreciate its readability, with one customer highlighting its thorough research.

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PacingReadability
7 customers mention ‘Pacing’7 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's pacing, finding it very readable, with one customer highlighting its brilliant essays and another noting its crystalline clarity of thought and exposition.

"...I'm a great admirer of JS for his intellect, crystalline clarity of thought and expisition and his humanity. Good luck with the business!@" Read more

"...Fantastic book, the guy is a genius." Read more

"The book was well researched and very readable, it was so well argued no unnecessary words just to the point...." Read more

"...Erudite to a fault, but written so elegantly and with such a light touch as to make them as easy to read as any novel...." Read more

4 customers mention ‘Readability’4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable, with one noting it is well researched.

"...Fantastic book, the guy is a genius." Read more

"The book was well researched and very readable, it was so well argued no unnecessary words just to the point...." Read more

"Excellent read. I don’t always agree with Lord Sumption but I could never construct an argument with such elegance...." Read more

"Interesting read. Didn’t always agree-but all worth reading. Postage envelope not secure and book slightly damaged on arrival." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Philip Watkins
    5.0 out of 5 stars AI Service
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 February 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Hi, Nick!
    Thanks for prompt receipt of Law in a Time of Crisis by Jonathan Sumption. It's in lovely condition, and I'm much looking forward to reading it. I'm a great admirer of JS for his intellect, crystalline clarity of thought and expisition and his humanity.
    Good luck with the business!@
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  • AJ
    5.0 out of 5 stars Can't recommend enough
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 July 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I came across Lord Sumption during Covid, he's really inspired me with his reasoned arguments again government folly. Fantastic book, the guy is a genius.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Law in the Time of Crisis
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 April 2021
    Verified Purchase
    The book was well researched and very readable, it was so well argued no unnecessary words just to the point. It is a series of his lectures that he has given over the years. As an historian he was able to use upon all that information he gathered over the years and draw it all together and relate it to the present day. Recommended.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • David Tomkin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Disparate essays with a common theme: relationship of judges and law makers.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 April 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Each essay is brilliant, and on various topics. Erudite to a fault, but written so elegantly and with such a light touch as to make them as easy to read as any novel. This does for contemporary jurisprudence what the Hart Devlin debate did when I was a student. Amusing story about how he left academic history for the bar so that he might have the leisure to write a five volume work on history. His last fee for a case was more than £7 million. Made me very jealous of his intellect and his good sense, not to mention his many achievements. A hero!
    15 people found this helpful
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  • Ricky
    5.0 out of 5 stars A common sense approach to law
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 May 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Jonathan Sumption delivers a number of powerful and much-needed interventions to remind us of the proper application of law. He challenges us to think about the purpose of law and how it is susceptible to forces that wish to use it to limit our individual liberty. As a former Supreme Court Justice, he reveals his thinking and wisdom in a common sense and accessible manner. It is clear that he sees the UK under lockdown as in danger of producing government by decree, and that laws made under the cover of 'emergency', are not good laws. Left unchecked, they may ultimately drive society in a way that few people will have imagined.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • A B S BALL
    5.0 out of 5 stars Settle down and enjoy
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 April 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Excellent read. I don’t always agree with Lord Sumption but I could never construct an argument with such elegance. His short account of Brexit as a remainer for German judges is the best summary I know.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Gonch888
    5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating critique
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 March 2021
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    Here is a view of recent political events taken from the perspective of one of the most intelligent thinkers in Britain.
    It’s bound to provoke discussion , as his opinions are persuasively documented.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • nicolette douglas
    3.0 out of 5 stars Mind the postage!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 April 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Interesting read. Didn’t always agree-but all worth reading. Postage envelope not secure and book slightly damaged on arrival.
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Carola Maier-Reimer
    5.0 out of 5 stars englisches Rechtswesen
    Reviewed in Germany on 24 August 2024
    Verified Purchase
    zum lesen!
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  • cliente de Blumenau
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente obra!
    Reviewed in Brazil on 17 March 2022
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    Muito bom!
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  • Peter D. Vlahos
    5.0 out of 5 stars "A Judge that understands"
    Reviewed in Australia on 1 November 2022
    Verified Purchase
    An eminent jurist with an eye on the present and on the future workings of the 'unwritten Constitution'. A worthwhile read.
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