Following the dependable Examples and Explanations method, this reliable guide offers ample features and benefits: - each section provides students with a short account of the law, and includes a variety of concrete examples & explanations designed to uncover uncertainties in the law and reinforce key rules and concepts - cutting-edge coverage unveils many important recent developments absent in competing books, such as: - Hamdan v. Rumsfeld (non-Article III courts -- 2006) - Marshall v. Marshall (diversity of citizenship -- 2006) - The Class Action Fairness Act (diversity of citizenship -- 2005) - Terri Schiavo litigation (congressional control of federal court jurisdiction -- 2005) - Grable & Sons v. Darue Engineering (federal question jurisdiction -- 2005) - Empire Healthchoice Assurance, Inc. v. McVeigh (2006) - Exxon Mobil v. Allapattah (supplemental jurisdiction -- 2005) - Lance v. Dennis (Rooker-Feldman doctrine 2006) - Exxon Mobil v. Saudi Basic Industries (Rooker-Feldman doctrine -- 2005) - Habeas Corpus cases (2005-2006) - nuances and unsettled issues in the law are openly addressed - widely respected federal courts scholar, Professor Laura E. Little, transforms her global knowledge of federal courts issues in a format that students can digest and master - an accessible and clear writing style provides lucid explanations of complex areas of the law and breaks down doctrines into component parts. Page layout is designed for easy retrieval and understanding - a sensible and flexible organization caters to students with various learning styles. Topics are organized according to the various functions of federal courts, whichgives the book thematic coherence while still allowing students to use the content according to their own needs - visual aids, including several graphs and illustrations that illustrate both macro and micro understandings of the material, are designed to convey intricacies of rules as well as larger relationships among doctrines and institutions - examples demonstrate complexities and ambiguities in the legal doctrine, while the explanations demonstrate practical skills for coping with uncertainty in the law, anticipating and outlining arguments on both sides of a controversy. Combined, these model good lawyering and exam-taking techniques