Bankruptcy law is a major part of the American legal landscape. More than a million individuals and thousands of businesses sought relief in the United States' ninety-three bankruptcy courts in 2014, more than twenty-seven thousand of them in the Eastern District of Michigan. Important business of great consequence takes place in the courts, yet they ordinarily draw little public attention. In "Adversity and Justice: A History of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Michigan," Kevin Ball takes a closer look at the history and evolution of this court.

Using a...