The prominent constitutional law scholar’s fascinating (and yes, mind-boggling) argument that we don’t need the Constitution after all For some, to oppose the Constitution is to oppose the American experiment itself. But leading constitutional scholar Louis Michael Seidman argues that our founding document has long passed its “sell-by” date. It might sound crazy, but Seidman’s arguments are both powerful and, well, convincing. As Seidman shows, constitutional skepticism and disobedience have been present from the beginning of American history, even worming their way into the Federalist Papers. And, as Seidman also points out, no one alive today has agreed to be bound by these rules. In From Parchment to Dust, Seidman offers a brief history of the phenomenon of constitutional skepticism and then proceeds to a masterful takedown of our most cherished, constitutionally enshrined institutions and beliefs, from the Supreme Court (“an arrogant elite in robes”), to the very concepts of civil rights, due process, and equal protection—all of which he argues are just pretenses for preserving a fundamentally rigged and inequitable status quo. Rather than rely on the specific wording of a flawed and outdated document, rife with “Madison’s mistakes,” Seidman proposes instead a version that better reflects our shared values, and leaves it to people currently alive to determine how these values will play out in contemporary society. From Parchment to Dust is a short, sharp, and iconoclastic book questioning the value (and ultimately the hypocrisy) of embracing the Constitution—which, after all, was written more than 230 years ago—as our moral and political lodestar.
You have the right to remain silent." These words, drawn from the Supreme Court's famous decision in Miranda v. Arizona, have had a tremendous impact on the public imagination. But what a strange right this is. Of all the activities that are especially worthy of protection, that define us as human beings, foster human potential, and symbolize human ambition, why privilege silence? This thoughtful and iconoclastic book argues that silence can be an expression of freedom. A defiant silence demonstrates determination, courage, and will. Martyrs from a variety of faith traditions have given up their lives rather than renounce their god. During the Vietnam era, thousands of anonymous draft resisters refused to take the military oath that was a prelude to participating in what they believed was an immoral war. These silences speak to us. They are a manifestation of connection, commitment, and meaning. This link between silence and freedom is apparent in a variety of different contexts, which Seidman examines individually, including silence and apology, silence and self-incrimination, silence and interrogation, silence and torture, and silence and death. In discussing the problem of apology, for example, the author argues that although apology plays a crucial role in maintaining the illusion of human connection, the right to not apologize is equally crucial. Similarly, prohibition against torture--so prominent in national debate since the events of Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib--is best understood as a right to silence, essential in preserving the distinction between mind and body on which human freedom depends.
What would the Framers of the Constitution make of multinational corporations? Nuclear weapons? Gay marriage? They led a preindustrial country, much of it dependent on slave labor, huddled on the Atlantic seaboard. The Founders saw society as essentially hierarchical, led naturally by landed gentry like themselves. Yet we still obey their commands, two centuries and one civil war later. According to Louis Michael Seidman, it's time to stop. In On Constitutional Disobedience, Seidman argues that, in order to bring our basic law up to date, it needs benign neglect. This is a highly controversial assertion. The doctrine of "original intent" may be found on the far right, but the entire political spectrum--left and right--shares a deep reverence for the Constitution. And yet, Seidman reminds us, disobedience is the original intent of the Constitution. The Philadelphia convention had gathered to amend the Articles of Confederation, not toss them out and start afresh. The "living Constitution" school tries to bridge the gap between the framers and ourselves by reinterpreting the text in light of modern society's demands. But this attempt is doomed, Seidman argues. One might stretch "due process of law" to protect an act of same-sex sodomy, yet a loyal-but-contemporary reading cannot erase the fact that the Constitution allows a candidate who lost the popular election to be seated as president. And that is only one of the gross violations of popular will enshrined in the document. Seidman systematically addresses and refutes the arguments in favor of Constitutional fealty, proposing instead that it be treated as inspiration, not a set of commands. The Constitution is, at its best, a piece of poetry to liberty and self-government. If we treat it as such, the author argues, we will make better progress in achieving both.
Ours is an age of growing doubt about constitutional theory and of outright hostility to any theory that defends judicial review. Why should a tiny number of unelected judges be able to validate or invalidate laws on such politically controversial issues as abortion, religion, gender, and sex--or even determine how the president is elected? In this provocative book, a leading constitutional theorist offers an entirely original defense of judicial review. Louis Michael Seidman argues that judicial review is defensible if we set aside common but erroneous assumptions--that constitutional law should be independent from our political commitments and that the role of constitutional law is to settle political disagreement. Seidman develops a theory of "unsettlement." A constitution that unsettles, that destabilizes outcomes produced by the political process, creates no permanent losers nursing deep-seated grievances, he says. An "unsettling" constitution helps to build a community founded on consent by enticing losers into a continuing conversation. The author applies this theory to an array of well-known cases heard by the Supreme Court over the past several decades, including the fall 2000 election decision.
Constitutional Law, Ninth Edition by Geoffrey R. Stone, Louis M. Seidman, Cass R. Sunstein, Mark V. Tushnet, Pamela S. Karlan, Aziz Z. Huq, and Leah M. Litman guides students through all facets of constitutional law, exploring traditional constitutional doctrine through the lens of varying critical and social perspectives informed by political theory, philosophy, sociology, ethics, history, and economics. Buy a new version of this textbook and receive access to the Connected eBook with Study Center on CasebookConnect, including: lifetime access to the online ebook with highlight, annotation, and search capabilities; practice questions from your favorite study aids; an outline tool and other helpful resources. Connected eBooks provide what you need most to be successful in your law school classes. Constitutional Law, Ninth Editiontakes a comprehensive approach to the way in which constitutional law arises. It offers instructors carefully edited cases and rich, interdisciplinary material for classroom discussion. Logically organized for a two-semester course, the first part of Constitutional Law tackles issues concerning separation of powers and federalism; the second part addresses all facets of individual rights and liberties. Constitutional Law, Ninth Edition, also provides thoughtfully selected content on the First Amendment, to give students a well-rounded understanding of religion and free speech issues. New to the Ninth Edition: Extensively revised treatment of the Religion Clauses. Revamped material on abortion rights given Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. More focused and tightened presentation of judicial review, federalism, and other areas. Professors and students will benefit from: The text’s attention to policy, including discussion of competing critical and social perspectives. An interdisciplinary approach that draws on political theory, philosophy, sociology, ethics, history, and economics. Thoughtful editing, including both lightly and more tightly edited cases, that balances close textual analysis with comprehensive converge of important opinions and pivotal cases. Streamlined treatment of First Amendment law, so that it efficiently provides the necessary fundamentals in free speech and religious liberties jurisprudence. A comprehensive coverage that is ideal for a two-semester course.
This is the 2013 case supplement to accompany Constitutional Law by Geoffrey R. Stone, Louis Michael Seidman, Cass R. Sunstein, Mark V. Tushnet, and Pamela S. Karlan. Summary of Contents Table of Cases Table of Authorities I. The Constitution and the Supreme Court II. Federalism at Work: Congress and the National Economy III. The Scope of Congress's Powers: Taxing and Spending, War Powers, Individual Rights, and State Autonomy IV. The Distribution of National Powers V. Equality and the Constitution VI. Implied Fundamental Rights VII. Freedom of Expression VIII. The Constitution and Religion IX. State Action, Baselines, and the Problem of State Power
Emanuel® Law Outlines for Constitutional Law, Forty-First Edition, by Steve Emanuel focuses on those topics that are important in today’s Constitutional Law courses and includes an abundance of short-answer questions and answers as well as exam tips. New to the Forty-First Edition: Coverage of key 2022-2023 Supreme Court developments, including: Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, holding that universities may no longer take race into account in making admissions decisions and thus nullifying traditional affirmative action in admissions. Biden v. Nebraska, a separation-of-powers decision holding that the Biden administration’s cancellation of up to $400 billion of student loan debt was invalid under the “major question” doctrine. Under that doctrine, a federal agency may act on a major question of economic or political significance only if there is “clear direction” from Congress allowing that action. Nat’l Pork Producers Council v. Ross, a decision reaffirming that even where a state law was not enacted with an intent to discriminate against interstate commerce, the Court will still perform a rough balancing test, under which it will find a dormant Commerce Clause violation if the burden imposed on commerce is clearly excessive compared with the local benefits. Counterman v. Colorado, a free-speech case reaffirming that threats of violence are not protected by the First Amendment but holding that to treat the making of such a threat as a crime, the prosecution must prove that the speaker acted “recklessly,” i.e., that the speaker “consciously disregarded” a substantial risk that the speech would cause harm to another. Moore v. Harper, a decision about the meaning of the “Elections Clause,” which gives each state legislature the power to determine the “times, places and manner” of congressional elections. The Court rejected the “independent state legislature” theory, which contended that a state legislature’s power to regulate federal elections was absolute. The Capsule Summary provides a quick reference summary of the key concepts covered in the full Outline. The detailed course Outline with black letter principles supplements your casebook reading throughout the semester and gives structure to your own outline. The Quiz Yourself feature includes a series of short-answer questions and sample answers to help you test your knowledge of the chapter’s content. Exam Tips alert you to issues and commonly used fact patterns found on exams. The Casebook Correlation Chart correlates each section in the Outline with the pages covering that topic in the major casebooks.
This 1996 edition of the phenomenally popular CONSTITUTIONAL LAW, by Stone, Seidman, Sunstein, and Tushnet, continues to offer the most vibrant and challenging set of teaching materials available for your course. Retaining its popular interdisciplinary focus on historical, political, and sociological emphasis, this edition features: streamlined notes and tightened case editing an entire section on quasi-congressional commitments, i.e. Contract with America a new section on sexual orientation And The equal protection clause new 'comparative perspective' notes within each chapter, which provide new perspectives on American constitutional law and up-to-date knowledge of other countries' legal systems expanded material on the constitutional implications of foreign relations, including a new section on the domestic effects of treaties and executive agreements new material on the regulation of cable television And The First Amendment in cyberspace thoroughly revised material on affirmative action a reorganized section on the establishment clause, incorporating major decisions the use of U.S. v. Lopez in the Powers of Congress chapter to refocus the discussion of policy and constitutional theory of federalism. A Teacher's Manual and annual supplement complete the text.
The 2023 Annual Supplement, like prior Supplements, includes excerpts from recent scholarship and from important new decisions of the Supreme Court—including major cases on the distribution of national powers and equality. This term reflects the continued shift in the orientation of the Court after the appointment by President Trump of three new Justices. New to the 2023 Supplement: Moore v. Harper National Pork Producers Council v. Ross Biden v. Nebraska Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College Professors and students will benefit from: Judicious excerpts of recent opinions
Buy a new version of this textbook and receive access to the Connected eBook with Study Center on CasebookConnect, including: lifetime access to the online ebook with highlight, annotation, and search capabilities; practice questions from your favorite study aids; an outline tool and other helpful resources. Connected eBooks provide what you need most to be successful in your law school classes. Learn more about Connected eBooks Adhering to the multi-disciplinary and scholarly approach of its predecessors, the eighth edition of Constitutional Law guides students through all facets of constitutional law. Constitutional Law explores traditional constitutional doctrine through the lens of varying critical and social perspectives informed by political theory, philosophy, sociology, ethics, history, and economics. This comprehensive approach paired with carefully edited cases provides instructors with rich material for classroom discussion. Logically organized for a two-semester course, the first part of Constitutional Law tackles issues concerning separation of powers and federalism while the second part addresses all facets of individual rights and liberties. Constitutional Law also provides thoughtfully selected content on the First Amendment to give students a well-rounded understanding of religion and free speech issues. Key Features: The text’s attention to policy, including discussion of competing critical and social perspectives. A multi-disciplinary approach that draws on political theory, philosophy, sociology, ethics, history, and economics. Thoughtful editing, including both lightly and more tightly-edited cases that balances close textual analysis with comprehensive converge of important opinions and pivotal cases. Streamlined treatment of First Amendment law, so that it efficiently provides the necessary fundamentals in free speech and religious liberties jurisprudence.
This book is the 2024 case supplement to Constitutional Law, Ninth Edition by Geoffrey R. Stone, Louis M. Seidman, Cass R. Sunstein, Mark V. Tushnet, Pamela S. Karlan, Aziz Z. Huq, and Leah M. Litman. The 2024 Annual Supplement, like prior Supplements, includes excerpts from recent scholarship and from important new decisions of the Supreme Court—including major cases on the distribution of national powers and equality. This term reflects the continued shift in the orientation of the Court after the appointment by President Trump of three new Justices. New to the 2024 Supplement: Trump v. United States Trump v. Anderson Murthy v. Missouri Moody v. Netchoice and Netchoice v. Paxton FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine Professors and students will benefit from: Judicious excerpts of recent opinions
Make sure you're using the most up to date materials in your Constitutional Law class, with this new case supplement. Taking an integrated approach of interspersing policy, legal theory, and philosophical nuances with traditional doctrinal material, this team of expert authors brings you the very latest cases and materials to keep your course current. CONSTITUTIONAL LAW, Third Edition, 2000 Case Supplement offers: -the insight of high-profile authors who are recognized experts in the field -the most current Supreme Court cases -the latest legislative changes -the flexibility to be used with a wide variety of materials, including the authors' casebook on the First Amendment Show your students how the principles of Constitutional Law are being applied today with this thorough and effective paperback. Click Here to visit CONSITUTIONAL LAW, Third Edition, 2000 Case Supplement Web Page to download a free trial of this product
To ensure that you have the most up-to-date and complete materials for your Constitutional Law class, be sure to use Constitutional Law, 2008 Case Supplement.
What would the Framers of the Constitution make of multinational corporations? Nuclear weapons? Gay marriage? They led a preindustrial country, much of it dependent on slave labor, huddled on the Atlantic seaboard. The Founders saw society as essentially hierarchical, led naturally by landed gentry like themselves. Yet we still obey their commands, two centuries and one civil war later. According to Louis Michael Seidman, it's time to stop. In On Constitutional Disobedience, Seidman argues that, in order to bring our basic law up to date, it needs benign neglect. This is a highly controversial assertion. The doctrine of "original intent" may be found on the far right, but the entire political spectrum--left and right--shares a deep reverence for the Constitution. And yet, Seidman reminds us, disobedience is the original intent of the Constitution. The Philadelphia convention had gathered to amend the Articles of Confederation, not toss them out and start afresh. The "living Constitution" school tries to bridge the gap between the framers and ourselves by reinterpreting the text in light of modern society's demands. But this attempt is doomed, Seidman argues. One might stretch "due process of law" to protect an act of same-sex sodomy, yet a loyal-but-contemporary reading cannot erase the fact that the Constitution allows a candidate who lost the popular election to be seated as president. And that is only one of the gross violations of popular will enshrined in the document. Seidman systematically addresses and refutes the arguments in favor of Constitutional fealty, proposing instead that it be treated as inspiration, not a set of commands. The Constitution is, at its best, a piece of poetry to liberty and self-government. If we treat it as such, the author argues, we will make better progress in achieving both.
The prominent constitutional law scholar’s fascinating (and yes, mind-boggling) argument that we don’t need the Constitution after all For some, to oppose the Constitution is to oppose the American experiment itself. But leading constitutional scholar Louis Michael Seidman argues that our founding document has long passed its “sell-by” date. It might sound crazy, but Seidman’s arguments are both powerful and, well, convincing. As Seidman shows, constitutional skepticism and disobedience have been present from the beginning of American history, even worming their way into the Federalist Papers. And, as Seidman also points out, no one alive today has agreed to be bound by these rules. In From Parchment to Dust, Seidman offers a brief history of the phenomenon of constitutional skepticism and then proceeds to a masterful takedown of our most cherished, constitutionally enshrined institutions and beliefs, from the Supreme Court (“an arrogant elite in robes”), to the very concepts of civil rights, due process, and equal protection—all of which he argues are just pretenses for preserving a fundamentally rigged and inequitable status quo. Rather than rely on the specific wording of a flawed and outdated document, rife with “Madison’s mistakes,” Seidman proposes instead a version that better reflects our shared values, and leaves it to people currently alive to determine how these values will play out in contemporary society. From Parchment to Dust is a short, sharp, and iconoclastic book questioning the value (and ultimately the hypocrisy) of embracing the Constitution—which, after all, was written more than 230 years ago—as our moral and political lodestar.
Constitutional Law, Ninth Edition by Geoffrey R. Stone, Louis M. Seidman, Cass R. Sunstein, Mark V. Tushnet, Pamela S. Karlan, Aziz Z. Huq, and Leah M. Litman guides students through all facets of constitutional law, exploring traditional constitutional doctrine through the lens of varying critical and social perspectives informed by political theory, philosophy, sociology, ethics, history, and economics. Buy a new version of this textbook and receive access to the Connected eBook with Study Center on CasebookConnect, including: lifetime access to the online ebook with highlight, annotation, and search capabilities; practice questions from your favorite study aids; an outline tool and other helpful resources. Connected eBooks provide what you need most to be successful in your law school classes. Constitutional Law, Ninth Editiontakes a comprehensive approach to the way in which constitutional law arises. It offers instructors carefully edited cases and rich, interdisciplinary material for classroom discussion. Logically organized for a two-semester course, the first part of Constitutional Law tackles issues concerning separation of powers and federalism; the second part addresses all facets of individual rights and liberties. Constitutional Law, Ninth Edition, also provides thoughtfully selected content on the First Amendment, to give students a well-rounded understanding of religion and free speech issues. New to the Ninth Edition: Extensively revised treatment of the Religion Clauses. Revamped material on abortion rights given Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. More focused and tightened presentation of judicial review, federalism, and other areas. Professors and students will benefit from: The text’s attention to policy, including discussion of competing critical and social perspectives. An interdisciplinary approach that draws on political theory, philosophy, sociology, ethics, history, and economics. Thoughtful editing, including both lightly and more tightly edited cases, that balances close textual analysis with comprehensive converge of important opinions and pivotal cases. Streamlined treatment of First Amendment law, so that it efficiently provides the necessary fundamentals in free speech and religious liberties jurisprudence. A comprehensive coverage that is ideal for a two-semester course.
To ensure that you have the most up-to-date and complete materials for your Constitutional Law class, be sure to use Constitutional Law, 2008 Case Supplement.
Constitutional law is clearly shaped by judicial actors. But who else contributes? Scholars in the past have recognized that the legislative branch plays a significant role in determining structural issues, such as separation of powers and federalism, but stopped there--claiming that only courts had the independence and expertise to safeguard individual and minority rights. In this readable and engaging narrative, the authors identify the nuts and bolts of the national dialogue and relate succinct examples of how elected officials and the general public often dominate the Supreme Court in defining the Constitution's meaning. Making use of case studies on race, privacy, federalism, war powers, speech, and religion, Devins and Fisher demonstrate how elected officials uphold individual rights in such areas as religious liberty and free speech as well as, and often better than, the courts. This fascinating debunking of judicial supremacy argues that nonjudicial contributions to constitutional interpretation make the Constitution more stable, more consistent with constitutional principles, and more protective of individual and minority rights.
Constitutional law is clearly shaped by judicial actors. But who else contributes? Scholars in the past have recognized that the legislative branch plays a significant role in determining structural issues, such as separation of powers and federalism, but stopped there--claiming that only courts had the independence and expertise to safeguard individual and minority rights. In this readable and engaging narrative, the authors identify the nuts and bolts of the national dialogue and relate succinct examples of how elected officials and the general public often dominate the Supreme Court in defining the Constitution's meaning. Making use of case studies on race, privacy, federalism, war powers, speech, and religion, Devins and Fisher demonstrate how elected officials uphold individual rights in such areas as religious liberty and free speech as well as, and often better than, the courts. This fascinating debunking of judicial supremacy argues that nonjudicial contributions to constitutional interpretation make the Constitution more stable, more consistent with constitutional principles, and more protective of individual and minority rights.
The 2023 Annual Supplement, like prior Supplements, includes excerpts from recent scholarship and from important new decisions of the Supreme Court—including major cases on the distribution of national powers and equality. This term reflects the continued shift in the orientation of the Court after the appointment by President Trump of three new Justices. New to the 2023 Supplement: Moore v. Harper National Pork Producers Council v. Ross Biden v. Nebraska Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College Professors and students will benefit from: Judicious excerpts of recent opinions
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