Constitutional Law for a Changing America: Rights, Liberties, and Justice

by Lee J. Epstein, Kevin T. McGuire (Contributor), Thomas G. Walker (Contributor)

Political factors influence judicial decisions. Arguments and input from lawyers and interest groups, shifting public opinion, and the ideological and behavioral inclinations of the justices collectively influence the development of constitutional doctrine. In Constitutional Law for a Changing America, bestselling authors Lee Epstein, Kevin T. McGuire, and Thomas G. Walker draw on both political science and legal studies to analyze and excerpt cases, accounting for recent landmark court decisions, including key opinions handed down through the 2020 term.  

Updated with additional material such as recent court rulings, more than 500 supplemental cases, and greater coverage of freedom of expression, this Eleventh Edition will develop students’ understanding of how the U.S. Constitution protects civil rights and liberties.

Included with this text

The online resources for your text are available via the password-protected Instructor Resource Site.

Genres: Law, Reference, Nonfiction, Textbooks, Politics, School, College

752 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Syd W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super super helpful in successfully summarizing and not forgetting the important parts regarding standards and tests used in court opinions. Not all court opinions are included which would be nice but the book does an excellent job of narrowing down the otherwise 70-80 page court opinions!

[Thomas Myers · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't think the author respected his own argument.

[Cate Tedford]

did that. #conlawqueen

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

for school

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both this book and the Institutional Powers book by the same authors are used at my University for the Constitutional Law courses. It is, as most law texts are, a little dry, kind of dull, and a whole lot of information crammed into a thick book in small type. That being said, Epstein & Walker succeed in making the information more accessible than any other textbook I've had to use in my studies on the same subject matter, and include photographs on major cases to help students place the information. They also contextualize the case information, giving the technical explanations and following with a more colloquial summary to ensure that the major points are understood.

The books do tend to be on the expensive side (in the realm of PoliSci texts, anyway), so if you know you're taking the class and if your school, like mine, uses this book across the board, it's best to buy it in the middle of a semester when those who have dropped are just trying to unload the book as quickly as possible. I managed to find it for under $35 on Amazon where it usually retails for around $75 (still significantly less than campus bookstores, even for used editions!).

[Kony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Situates key decisions in political context, giving enough detail to orient, but not so much as to overwhelm. Illuminates diverse influences on law's development, attending to the big picture (internat'l and nat'l events), the small picture (individual justices, parties in cases), and the medium picture (intra-court dynamics, inter-branch relations). Leaves me feeling like a better educated American, equipped to discuss legal history more intelligently.

[Anne Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lengthy and comprehensive overview of the major issues confronting the Supreme Court, complete with case examples and excerpts from the findings of the Court. I wouldn't recommend this book for someone completely unversed in law. but for those wanting to gain a more complete understanding of how our Supreme Court works, this is an excellent text.

[Ashley M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved my con law class. I want to know more about the cases and courts. Just fascinating.

[enja reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a textbook, I think it is a great overview. It is well-organized and gives excerpts of many important decisions.

[Kevin Altman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Political Science classic...a must!