Jed Rubenfeld Books in Order

Jed Rubenfeld challenges the idea that freedom means escaping the past and living only in the present. He argues that personal and democratic self-government depend on enduring commitments, developing a theory of constitutional interpretation rooted in obligations sustained over time.

Jed Rubenfeld examines how constitutional law can preserve historical commitments while supporting radical changes in interpretation. Through major American cases, he distinguishes original understandings that demand constitutional protection from assumptions that leave room for later courts to recognise new applications.

During Sigmund Freud’s 1909 visit to New York, a disturbing murder draws psychoanalysis into a world of wealth, ambition and concealed desires. The investigation follows cryptic evidence through a rapidly changing city, exposing connections between private obsessions and public corruption.

A doctor, a police captain and a French radiochemist witness the 1920 Wall Street bombing. As attacks on the scientist reveal a hidden past, their investigation moves across Europe and America toward the forces behind the catastrophic explosion.

Amy Chua and Jed Rubenfeld investigate differences in achievement among cultural groups in America. They argue that a combination of superiority, insecurity, and self-control can drive success, while also examining the personal costs and limitations of those traits.