The distinctive feature of this Federal Courts casebook, and the main difference between it and other Federal Courts books, is its systematic focus on remedial issues, especially the problems that arise when a litigant tries to enforce federal constitutional rights against state or federal governments and officers in the federal courts. Departing from the traditional approach of Federal Courts books, we begin with a chapter on section 1983 litigation. The book stresses economy of means, clarity of presentation, and attention to the real-world Federal Courts issues that students need to understand and anticipate. This edition covers the major cases decided by the Supreme Court over the past four years, either as principal cases or in the notes. The new Supreme Court decisions include Connick v. Thompson and Lane v. Franks (chapter 1), Minneci v. Pollard (chapter 2), Gunn v. Minton and Mims v. Arrow Financial Services (chapter 3), Already LLC v. Nike, Inc., Camreta v. Greene, Chafin v. Chafin, Hollingsworth v. Perry, United States v. Windsor, and Zivotofsky v. Clinton (chapter 4), Sossamon v. Texas and VOPA v. Stewart (chapter 5), Smith v. Bayer, Sprint Communications v. Jacobs, and Susan B. Anthony List v. Driehaus (chapter 6), White v. Woodall and McQuiggin v. Perkins (chapter 9), and Stern v. Marshall (chapter 10). We have extensively revised chapter 4 (standing and justiciability) and chapter 9 (habeas corpus.)

The text is largely structured as before, but offers new teaching/learning possibilities because of the interactive features. There has been major restructuring of Chapters 1 (Justiciability) and 11 (Habeas Corpus) to make them more teachable. Chapter 3 reflects changes in the Court's approach to federal-question jurisdiction, with Merrell Dow fading into the background, replaced by Grable and Gunn v. Minton. The text also includes the two significant standing cases decided at the very end of the October 2012 Term: Hollingsworth v. Perry and Windsor v. United States.

The 12th Edition of Wright and Oakley's Cases and Materials on Federal Courts retains the style and structure of the 11th Edition, with its distinctive emphasis on cases and annotative footnotes rather then lengthy comments and questions by the editors. It is fully up-to-date, including new principal cases, and fully revised annotations.

This supplement brings the main casebook up to date with recent changes in the law.

Discusses such fundamental issues as where American law comes from, what is meant by "justice," and how our courts are organized and function. Also examines 212 specific court cases.

This supplement brings the principal text current with recent developments in the law.