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    Wisconsin Lawyer
    May 01, 2000

    Wisconsin Lawyer May 2000: Book Reviews

    Book Reviews


    This Month's Featured Selections


    Legal History Trusting Nothing to Providence:
    History of Wisconsin's Legal System

    By Joseph A. Ranney
    (Madison, WI: U.W. Law School,
    Continuing Education & Outreach, 2000).
    778 pgs. $30. Order, (800) 355-5573.

    Reviewed by Jack Stark

    Persons who have read Joseph Ranney's excellent series of articles on Wisconsin legal history in this magazine will be delighted to learn that he has recently published a full-scale legal history of Wisconsin. In addition to a long history, his book contains a useful bibliographical essay, a timeline, a table of cases, and an index.

    Having gathered an enormous amount of material, Ranney faced several strategic decisions. He solved the historian's invariable problem of combining chronological and thematic development by dealing with themes in the part of the chronological narrative in which they are the most prominent. He analyzes cases enough to communicate their meaning and significance without writing, in effect, a series of law review articles. He provides enough legal and historical context so that a reader can discern the way that each legal development fits into this state's legal history and general history. That choice allowed him to introduce many colorful characters, such as John R. Commons, Edward Ryan, and Charles McCarthy. Each of these decisions was the wisest that could have been made.

    Having made these decisions, Ranney turned on his fluent, clear prose style and set to work producing a book that is interesting, immensely learned, and in virtually all its details convincing. Very rarely I came across an analysis with which I disagreed (such as the acceptance of some negative comments on Knowlton v. Rock County (1859), which I think is still good law in regard to the necessity of either taxing or exempting all the property of a class and that has helped to spare us some special-interest property tax exemptions). When he covered a topic that I knew well, I almost always agreed; when he covered one of the many topics that I knew only slightly or not at all, he almost always convinced me.

    For the legal profession and the citizens of this state, Joseph Ranney has performed a great service by conducting some prodigious research and then turning it into a book that is intellectually eminently respectable and enjoyable. Every member of Wisconsin's legal profession ought to own and read it.

    Jack Stark, U.W. 1979, is a retired attorney who has published articles on Wisconsin legal history, as well as six books (a seventh forthcoming) and many articles on a variety of other subjects.


    Greatest Managers First Break All the Rules:
    What the World's Greatest Managers Do

    By Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman
    (New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 1999).
    256 pgs. $25.

    Reviewed by Brian S. Kern

    The authors' unique approach with this book makes it a worthwhile addition to both the beginning and experienced manager's bookshelf. As source material, the authors synthesize the thoughts of more than 80,000 managers and 1 million employees as garnered by the Gallup Organization over the past 25 years. They then locate common themes expressed by the managers and employees and present them in an easy-to-read and understandable manner. Those fearing an overuse of statistical information should not be concerned. For the most part, statistical analysis is left to the appendix thus freeing the reader to enjoy the clear and concise text.

    A major highlight of this book is that the authors go beyond simply analyzing the data and attempt to provide readers with tools for use in their workplaces. For example, they delve into such topics as hiring right the first time, playing favorites in the workplace, and understanding what employees are looking for in a manager. While some of their conclusions appear to go against conventional wisdom, I'm not sure that the first thing great managers do is to break all the rules. However, this book does offer intriguing viewpoints on the interaction between managers and those being managed.

    This book offers a broad spectrum analysis of what managers in all size companies are doing and thinking. The text is conveniently written for those having limited reading time. If you are a manager looking for a different approach to common problems, this may be the book for you.

    Brian S. Kern, U.W. 1997, is the manager of contract and compliance for a leading midwestern life and disability insurer.


    Can We All Get Along?
    Racial and Ethnic Minorities in American Politics

    By Paula D. McClain & Joseph Stewart Jr.
    (Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1998).
    272 pgs. $17.

    Reviewed by Timothy McAllister

    One of the most volatile dilemmas facing our nation is explored in this book. This well-organized text begins with a discussion of terminology issues and a brief historic overview of the constitutional and citizenship aspects of the major racial and ethnic minorities the book covers: Blacks, Latinos, American Indians, and Asians.

    Using an abundance of maps and tables, subgroups of these minority groups are identified, dispelling the concept that these groups are constructed of stereotypical individuals. These subgroups vary distinctly in median income, education, and voting habits.

    Resources and voting habits are broken down and discussed, as are group identity, perceptions of discrimination, and political ideology. Variations among the subgroups' habits and perceptions are covered to differentiate their beliefs and voting patterns. The importance of this becomes evident as the maps and tables clearly indicate the variations in what is generally perceived as a single entity "minority."

    The formation of minority interest groups is discussed. Most originally were centered on fighting back against mainstream policies and segregation. It was necessary to establish interest groups in order to attempt to place issues on the political agenda of local, state, and federal governmental bodies.

    Public policy-making is a cyclical process of agenda setting, formulating proposals, adoption between competing proposals, implementation, and ongoing evaluation of implemented policies. Minority groups struggle to get into the initial agenda setting stage of the process due to limited economic resources and population size. For minority groups, the greatest influence on agenda setting has been through the efforts to create outside initiative.

    The Voting Rights Act of 1965 has enabled minority groups to gain some inside access, but it has been limited in its success. The Supreme Court has been a more effective access point for minorities since the actions of policy makers can be appealed to ensure that the actions are consistent with the Constitution and not just what the majority wants. Affirmative action, equal educational opportunities, and judicial histories are well covered.

    The book deals in depth with problems concerning minority group coalition formation and competition. Specific interests, rather than ideology, tends to be the foundation of group coalitions. Coalitions tend to dissolve when policy formation that favors one participant group over another becomes reality.

    The text totally dispels the stereotype that all minorities think alike because of their minority status. A continuing problem is the fact that minorities have been socialized in a manner that perceives them as less than "white people," which has led minority groups to believe that other minority groups are less than themselves. The depth of prejudice in policies and beliefs ingrained in many people will always hinder the realization of equal human potential and worth for all.

    This text deserves to be used in advanced high school or introductory college public policy courses and as an adjunct text for more advanced courses. The quality of the writing, coupled with the tables, maps, and photographs pro-duces a volume that should be read by all.

    Timothy McAllister is an offender classification specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.


    Religion in the Workplace:
    A Comprehensive Guide to Legal Rights and Responsibilities

    By Michael Wolf, Bruce Friedman, & Daniel Sutherland
    (Chicago, IL: ABA Tort & Insurance Practice Section, 1998).
    267 pgs. $69.95.

    Reviewed by Kevin L. Keeler

    Numerous areas of federal law may apply to religious conflicts in the workplace, including the First Amendment, Title VII, the EEOC Guidelines, executive orders, federal personnel laws and regulations relating to religious accommodation, the National Labor Relations Act, and the White House Guidelines on Religious Exercise and Expression. This book provides a clear and practical road map through these various areas as well as the relevant case law.

    After an overview of the relevant federal laws and a discussion of the types of employers covered, the book examines how the courts have attempted to define religious beliefs under Title VII and the First Amendment. Although courts generally defer to an individual's own declaration of religious principle, they have drawn the line in extreme cases, holding, for example, that a personal religious creed requiring an employee to eat cat food is not a religious practice.

    The book highlights the potential catch-22 for employers that occurs when an employee's proselytizing on the job is objected to by coworkers. The law appears to require an employer to prevent the proselytizer from harassing other employees and at the same time to accommodate the proselytizer's religious beliefs. However, courts have upheld employers who have suppressed proselytizing activities that have become harassing to other employees.

    What private and public employers must do to accommodate an employee's religious beliefs is an important focus of the book, taking up the book's last five chapters. The employer generally is not required to grant an accommodation if it creates an undue hardship for the employer, which the courts have interpreted to mean anything more than a de minimis cost. Further, the courts have held that employers need only offer an employee one reasonable accommodation, and are not required to agree to accommodations requested by the employee.

    In addition to Title VII, public sector employers are subject to the First Amendment's restrictions prohibiting government from promoting or interfering with religion. The authors show how the law in this area has changed markedly over the last decade, beginning with the 1990 Supreme Court decision in Employment Division, Department of Human Resources v. Smith, which held that a state does not have to show a compelling interest if religion is only incidentally affected by a neutral, generally applicable law. In response to Smith, Congress passed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) which restored the compelling interest test in all cases where free exercise of religion is substantially burdened. After the Supreme Court declared RFRA unconstitutional as applied to the states in City of Boerne v. Flores, the federal government decided to voluntarily adhere to the RFRA standards.

    The book's emphasis on practical applications and its avoidance of legal jargon should make it an accessible reference for human resource personnel and other nonlawyers. Attorneys will appreciate its comprehensive discussion of the important cases and appendices containing the full text of the federal law sources.

    Kevin L. Keeler, U.W. 1985, is a shareholder in the Milwaukee office of beck, Chaet, Molony & Bamberger S.C.


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