New from W. W. Norton · December 1, 2026
Why We Can’t Have Nice Things
How Legal Reformers Accidentally Broke America
A provocative account of how our legal culture is holding us hostage—and what we need to do to change it.
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Hardcover · 256 pages · On sale December 1, 2026
Advance praise
“This book is so good and important. Bagley has long been one of the essential voices on why America can’t build, and his new book is an exceptional work. A good lawyer’s case against a bad lawyerly society.”Derek Thompsonco-author of Abundance
“A vivid, powerful, and passionate attack on processes and barriers that slow everything down. Important reading for all those who want a better future.”Cass R. SunsteinRobert Walmsley University Professor, Harvard Law School, and author of Sludge
“Bagley makes sense of the senseless. Anyone trying to understand how American government broke, and how to fix it, should read this book. And the great surprise is how much you’ll enjoy it.”Jennifer Pahlkaauthor of Recoding America
About
Nicholas Bagley is the Thomas G. Long Professor of Law at the University of Michigan. In 2020 and 2022, he served as special counsel and then chief legal counsel to Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.