Full Description
This book is a collection of comprehensive background essays coupled with carefully edited Supreme Court case excerpts designed to explore constitutional law and the role of the Supreme Court in its development and interpretation. Well-grounded in both theory and politics, the book endeavors to heighten students' understanding of this critical part of the American political system.
NEW TO THE 19th EDITION
• An account of the recent Supreme Court transitions, including the Biden Court commission, the appointment of Ketanji Brown Jackson, and the heightened political and ethical difficulties facing the Court.
• Five new cases carefully edited and excerpted, including Minor v. Happersett (1875) on gender and voting rights, Trump v. Anderson (2024) on access to the ballot, Carson v. Makin (2022) on religious freedom, New York Rifle & Pistol Assn. v. Bruen (2023) on Second Amendment rights, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (2023) on abortion rights, and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, together with Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina on affirmative action.
• Twenty-one new cases discussed in chapter essays.
• Tips on reading a Supreme Court decision remains as a box in Chapter One.
Contents
Introduction: A Political Supreme Court
1 Jurisdiction and Organization of the Federal Courts
2 The Constitution, the Supreme Court, and Judicial Review
3 Congress and the President
4 Federalism
5 The Electoral Process
6 The Commerce Clause
7 National Taxing and Spending Power
8 Property Rights and the Development of Due Process
9 The Bill of Rights and the Second Amendment
10 Criminal Justice
11 Freedom of Expression
12 Religious Liberty
13 Privacy
14 Equal Protection of the Laws
15 Security and Freedom in Wartime and Pandemic
