Constitutional Law and Politics: Struggles for Power and Governmental Accountability

by David M. O'Brien and Gordon Silverstein

Book Overview

This authoritative casebook presents a wide range of excerpts and opinions from the most significant Supreme Court cases and places each case in its historical and political context. Special feature boxes, headnotes, and introductions help students understand complicated decisions. The Ninth Edition has been updated to include recent landmark rulings on contemporary issues, such as same-sex marriage and heath care.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393922391
• ISBN13: 9780393922394
• Release Date: February 2014
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 1184 Pages
• Weight: 2.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 5.6" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Prepare for an aching brain

Constitutional law is about as arcane a subject as you could never want to study. This series of books does the field justice by requiring the reader to keep a bottle of aspirin handy. That aside, the book is well thought out in presentation of the intertwined aspects of law and politics, and how the courts worm their way through both. For example, between explanations of the origin of constitutional clauses and case opinions, there are usable data references (charts on case loads over the supreme court's history and a table of how often the court has reversed previous decisions, and alarmingly more frequent trend). Net-net is that the book's organization helps the reader reach a fuller understanding of American constitutional law and the strengths (and weaknesses) therein. Be warned though -- these are not books for beginners. If you are new to con law, start with a broad overview like "The Words We Live By" before plunging into the sausage making factory disclosed in this book.

Great Value

This books was $75 less than if I would have bought it in my college bookstore.