The Constitution of the United States

Synopsis

This casebook emphasizes the text, structure, and history of the Constitution not merely the Supreme Court's most recent cases. This book is unique among constitutional law textbooks in several ways. First, it is organized by the Constitution's text and structure. Second, it uses "great cases" as paradigms for learning the major issues in constitutional law, and it offers less attention to every little ripple of modern doctrine (and thus includes fewer note cases). Third, it stresses the task of interpretation, including the interpretation of the Constitution by the political branches. Fourth, it gives attention to neglected features of our Constitution and constitutional history, including slavery, Article IV, the constitutional amendment process, the whole of the Bill of Rights (including a few cases on the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments), and matters of republicanism and representation.