Reviews (5)

The Pictures are Really Entertaining.
Happily, I discovered this book shortly after another one of my recommendations; "The Elementary Common Sense of Thomas Paine." It was truly fascinating to read about the events that occurred in Colonial America shortly before the Declaration, and see those events referenced in our constitution. You will understand the evolution of our government from colonial to country by reading both. Enthusiastically Recommended for all ages.

Every American should buy this book
This is a visually wonderful book.Sam Fink originally did a pen-and-ink version of this, which was later revised to be a full-colour version for Welcome Books.Apart from the briefest of commentary pieces, this is simply the text of the U.S. Constitution, from Preamble to Twenty-Seventh Amendment.Fink has done an engaging hand-inscribed version with illustrative artwork, sometimes symbolic and sometimes demonstrative.For example, for the Thirteen Amendment (the one passed in 1865 to abolish slavery), Fink's graphic shows strong chains being broken by a pair of shears that have been painted red, white and blue like the flag.For the Sixteenth Amendment (the 1913 amendment permitting general income taxes), Fink's drawing shows a man standing next to Uncle Sam, with Uncle Sam's hand reaching surreptitiously into the unsuspecting man's pocket.
Why would you buy this book?
The title of this book is the giveaway.Apparently, the author has not read the Constitution FOR the United States of America.It is NOT the Constitution of the United States of America."for" places the Constitution in proper context as the set of rules for the government.
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Subjects:  1. Constitutional    2. Constitutional Law    3. Constitutions    4. Government - National    5. History    6. History: American    7. Legal Reference / Law Profession    8. Oversize books    9. Specimens    10. U.S. Constitutional History    11. United States    12. United States - Revolutionary War    13. American history: c 1500 to c 1800    14. History / United States / Revolutionary Period (1775-1800)    15. USA   

Subjects:  1. Cases    2. Constitutional    3. Constitutional law    4. Law    5. Legal Reference / Law Profession    6. United States   

Reviews (5)

Repetitive and Too Big
This massive back-breaker of a casebook is seriously in need of major editing.The cases were frequently repetitive and exhaustive about minute details.The editor would make a point, the following case would repeat it twice, and then the editor would again repeat it following the case.
Terrible Editing
The whole point of buying casebooks like this is to have handy a collection of the most pertinent points of relevant cases presented in an effective manner that makes sense.That said, Sullivan (who FAILED the CA bar exam) does a horrible job editing, and fails to make a decent casebook.
Why are you reading this review?
More importantly, why am I writing this?If you're considering this book, you'd better be in law school.In that case, you're probably obligated to buy this book for your Con Law class, which begs the question in the title of this review.You're buying it anyway! Stop wasting time on the internet and get back to work (oh, the irony).
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Subjects:  1. Cases    2. Constitutional    3. Constitutional law    4. Law    5. United States   

Reviews (5)

Insightful, biased, brilliant, shrill - Posner!
Richard Posner is perhaps best known for his work on the economic analysis of law (his text by that name is the standard for the discipline). His work on catastrophic risk, which forms the basis for his analysis in _Not a Suicide Pact_, draws heavily on the reasoning used in his work in the area of "law and economics."
Read the book BEFORE you review it
This is a terrific book that all open minded people would find of interest. As is the case so often,reviewers are being allowed to place reviews without ever reading the book, as in the previous reviewers case (Upshur).Posner examines the delicate balance between personal freedom and collective security and the fine line between them that is constantly shifting due to historical circumstance. After reading this book,no matter what position you choose to take, you will have a greater understanding of the issues involved, and you will be able to make a more informed decision.

Is this what we're coming to?
I'm sad to say it looks like it is.
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Subjects:  1. Civil Rights    2. Constitutional    3. Law    4. Law and legislation    5. Legal Reference / Law Profession    6. National security    7. Political Freedom & Security - General    8. United States    9. Law / Constitutional    10. Law | Constitutional Law   

Reviews (23)

Invaluable to anyone with an interest in the meaning of the Constitution.
This is a remarkable work with contributions from more than a hundred legal scholars. The intent is to "present the Founder's understanding of the Constitution and its various provisions" along with the judicial interpretations and political circumstances that make up the historical development of constitutional law. Intended for an audience of lawmakers, judges and lawyers, the Heritage Guide is also a valuable addition to the library of any person with an abiding interest in one of the most - if not the most - remarkable documents created by the hand of man.
Very solid reference of the Constitution
This book goes line by line through the Constitution explaining the original intent of the founders.It also has articles for each topic authored by the leading scholars in the respective areas.If you are interested in knowing the history of the Constitution, this book is a must.
Great Book
Very detailed coverage of the constitution and amendments.Each phrase is commented on and relevant and significant court cases and developments of interpretation are listed.I highly recommend this book for anyone with an interest in constitutional law and history. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Constitutional    2. Constitutional law    3. Constitutions    4. Legal Reference / Law Profession    5. Political Science    6. Politics/International Relations    7. U.S. Constitutional History    8. United States    9. Political Science / General   

Reviews (21)

For the layman's library as well as the expert's
If you--like this reader--want to be an educated newspaper reader and voter, then this book is worth the investment in time and money.Professional reviews indicate Amar's brilliance in the field of constitutional law, but that brilliance translates into a highy readable book.
For lawyers and scholars only
America's Constitution follows the US Constitution, from the soaring brillinace of the preamble, through article 7 and each of the amendments.Amar describes in depth the historical and political background of each section and explains what the drafters had intended, why it was written with the particular words and expressions that were used, and the intended and unintended consequences of the choices made by the framers.
great intro to the constitution
Amar explains in his postscript that his aim in writing this book was "to offer a comprehensive account of America's Constitution, introducing the reader both to the legal text (and its consequences) and to the political deeds that gave rise to that text." He has achieved this aim splendidly. This phrase-by-phrase guided tour through the document never fails to inform and provoke, whether or not one agrees with its author (and I don't always). It's also a very approachable book, in terms of both style and content. The knowledge base assumed here is considerable, but not forbidding: anybody with a good working knowledge of the Seven Articles and the better-known Amendments ought to be able to thread his way profitably through Amar's lucid and energetic narrative.
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Subjects:  1. Constitutional    2. Constitutional History    3. Constitutions    4. Legal Reference / Law Profession    5. Political Science    6. Politics / Current Events    7. Politics/International Relations    8. U.S. History - Constitutional Period To Civil War (1789-1860)    9. United States    10. United States - General    11. Political Science / Constitutions   

Subjects:  1. Constitutional    2. Law    3. Legal Reference / Law Profession   

Reviews (14)

This book seems to get 5 or 1 star(s)
I completely enjoyed the book, and found it to be accurate. It is very interesting to note that a number of the reviewers were not so much reviewing the book, but expressing their opinions, hence, the disparity in the ratings. While reading the book, it made me understand what Professors in college were actually practicing, revisionism, and disparaging founders reputations. It is too bad that in this life, the founders do not get to defend themselves against the neverending attacks on their character. Prior to reading the book, any engaged political person knows that the Judicial branch is destroying America with their partisan activism. Eventually, changes will happen to our system, or it will be broken. Barton does a good job exposing these justices that are looking to mark their own mark at our expense.
The Truth
If you doubt what Christians in government are up against, take a look at these reviews. Barton has done a masterful job with this book, but it simply doesn't fit the modern "separation of church and state" agenda of liberalism. As a result pointy head pseudo-intellectuals go on and on about how Barton made all of this up...Well, the truth is the modern rewrite of history is what is making things up. Read this book and learn the truth about our founding fathers.

Revisionist History
Barton could not be more wrong on the issue of church and state separation. Not only does he misrepresent the founding fathers and their beliefs, but he completely misses the mark in terms of religious freedom. As an American who cares deeply about religious freedom - not only for myself but for those who believe differentlythan I do - I feel that it's my duty to set the record straight.
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Subjects:  1. Constitutional    2. Constitutional history    3. Constitutional law    4. Legal Reference / Law Profession    5. Religion and state    6. Religion, Politics & State    7. Sources    8. United States   

Reviews (13)

An excellent reference
It is difficult to say whether the contentious atmosphere that currently exists regarding the legal opinions of the Supreme Court is greater than any other time in the history of the United States. There have been times, especially during the Civil War and World War I when the Supreme Court raised the ire of many a citizen. Some of the "activist" justices, as some of them are now called, could perhaps be designated as "activist light" if compared with some of the justices of the past. This book gives ample evidence for this comparison, but also gives information on a wide variety of legal issues that the Supreme Court has had to deal with throughout its history. It would probably not be read from cover to cover, but instead serves as a general reference for those readers who are not and do not intend to become legal scholars, but are curious as to the reasoning patterns deployed by the justices who sat on the Court. Readers who are approaching this subject for the first time will find many surprises about the Court, both in the opinions expressed by the judges and in their personal histories and backgrounds. It is fair to say that legal opinions are guided predominantly by the historical context in which they are put forth, and this claim seems to gain more substantiation as more articles in this book are read and studied.
Massive tome on the Supreme Court.
_The Oxford Companion to the United States Supreme Court of the United States_(Kermit Hall, ed.) is a massive tome containing a vast swath of information: cases, traditions, theories of constitutional interpretations, historical events, and biographies of all of the Supreme Court Justices.It has the same material (word for word) as Kermit Hall's _The Oxford Guide to United States Supreme Court Decisions_ but this is much more worthwhile reference work because it contains more contextual material than the cases themselves.This book is by no means exhaustive, but it provides a very informative overview of what the Supreme Court has been up to for the past two hundred years and the very different personalities serving on the body.

A worthy companion
As the nation prepares to welcome the seventeenth Chief Justice, this book is a wonderful guide to the processes of the least 'media-exposed' branch of the federal government and its highest institution, the Supreme Court.
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Subjects:  1. Courts - Supreme Court    2. Encyclopedias    3. Essays    4. Federal Jurisdiction    5. Government - Federal    6. Law    7. Legal Reference / Law Profession    8. Reference    9. Supreme Court    10. United States    11. United States.    12. Comparative law    13. Constitutional & administrative law    14. Courts & procedure    15. Law / Reference    16. Law | Legal History    17. Laws of Other Jurisdictions & General Law    18. USA   

Reviews (1)

First Rate
I had the pleasure of taking Professor Seamon's Administrative Law course at the University of South Carolina School of Law. He really knows the material in and out and this book reflects that.Read more

Subjects:  1. Administrative Law & Regulatory Practice    2. Administrative law    3. Cases    4. Constitutional    5. Law    6. Legal Reference / Law Profession    7. United States   

Reviews (5)

Horrible Casebook
I too have used this book for two semesters of Con Law.In my opinion it is the absolute worst casebook I have ever had to use.
Run for the hills
This is definitely the worst casebook I have come across so far.It weighs a ton too.You absolutely need to buy a supplement if you want to understand anything.A huge amount of space is devoted to notes and comments most of which are meaningless and incomprehensible to most 1Ls.As someone already said, if you can avoid this book, you're lucky.

Not for the casual reader...
We used this book for two semesters of Constitutional Law at law school. Even so we covered less than half of it. It is not easy reading but when used with other study aids or Lexis the cases become more clear.Read more

Subjects:  1. Cases    2. Constitutional    3. Constitutional law    4. Law    5. Legal Reference / Law Profession    6. United States    7. Constitutional & administrative law   

Reviews (3)

Great reference guide
I am a manager for a Federal Govt Agency.I found this book informational and easy to understand.Immigration law is a complex subject.The book is easy to read and addresses many important aspects related to this subject.The sections related to inadmissability, removal are well written and easy to understand.The chapters related to the history of various classes of immigrants was intersting as well.I would recommend the book for persons who want to expand their knowledge of this topic.

The book provides a good academic discussion
This book makes no pretensions to be the ultimate compendium for the practitioners in the immigration field.As the author points out in the preface, this book is meant to give you a brief overview of the subject.And that it did!It provides succint and stimulating discussions in many pertinent topics.Most importantly, the flow of the discussions is not bogged down by chaotic juxtaposition of law and facts that is usually usually associated with works written by the practitioners.In short, this book presents you with the picture of the forest rather than the individual shots of trees.I highly recommend it.

Gives a general overview, not for beginner, not for pro.
I work for a law firm and am planning on going to a law school. I got into the immigration field by pure accident but I had a great deal of research done through working on actual cases. This book gives a very good general overview of the immigration law and procedure, but it does not list the details of "HOW?" only some of "WHY?".Read more

Subjects:  1. Constitutional    2. Emigration & Immigration    3. Emigration And Immigration    4. Emigration and immigration law    5. Law    6. Legal Reference / Law Profession    7. United States   

Subjects:  1. Cases    2. Constitutional    3. Constitutional law    4. Law    5. Legal Reference / Law Profession    6. United States   

Editorial Review

"The majority of historians seem to suggest that the founders knew just what to do--and did it, creating a government that would endure for centuries," writes CUNY historian Carol Berkin in the introduction to Read more

Reviews (5)

Nicely Done.
If you are looking for a short, understandable compendium of how the US Constitution evolved, then this is the book for you. Carol Berkin has done a very good job of putting these critical deliberations, the pros and the cons, forward in layman's terms. Better yet, the prose is clear, crisp and incisive. This is a succinct volume in which every word counts, so you will probably want to read it through more than once.
Not Brilliant but Worth the Read
Like so many elements of history, there is rampant ignorance or misunderstanding among the American public regarding the origins of our Constitution.Sadly, a significant majority surely have no concept whatsoever of the failed initial attempt at a United States government.More significantly, among the historically literate outside academic circles, there has been a common misperception of our Framers as a set of omniscient statesmen who shared a clear view of the ideal government and crafted a structure that remains unchanged in its essentials to this day.The purpose of Berkin's book is, through a focus on the papers of constitutional convention delegates, to provide insight into the reality behind these myths. an engaging and important book
Civics class ranked among the most horrendous when I was a student, compared to art studio, gym or field biology.The Federalist Papers seemed like the most stultifying tome one could ever be force-fed.So why would anybody inflict a book on the Constitution upon themselves for fun?Read more

Subjects:  1. Constitutional Law    2. Constitutions    3. History    4. History - U.S.    5. History: American    6. Political History    7. U.S. History - Revolution And Confederation (1775-1789)    8. United States - Revolutionary War    9. Political Science / Constitutions   

Reviews (4)

Now that we are this book, here's what I say:
Everything is bad news if it comes with a deadline that isn't met.This book, THE SOLDIER AND THE STATE:THE THEORY AND POLITICS OF CIVIL-MILITARY RELATIONS by Samuel P. Huntington, a young Harvard professor in 1957, when the book first appeared, attempted to establish assumptions that would allow respectable consideration of policies that, in our world, might be used to define who we have become.My differences with this book might be ascribed to a theological framework in which this book is seen as having assumed the existence of hell on earth as the situation which people who voiced political aspirations that did not coincide with the prevailing superpower mentality would have to put up with.The famous Winston Churchill once said something about assumptions up with which he would not put, and the success of this book might be measured by how its views are assumed to be the American views in those parts of the world where America as a superpower is most unpopular. The best book ever written on civil-military relations
At the time of its original publication in 1957, Samuel Huntington's The Soldier and the State reflected a new age in American history--the Cold War era.Huntington, a young Harvard professor of government, focused on policy problems concerning civilian direction of the military under the terms of the Cold War.Basically, he contended that traditional American liberalism was outdated and in fact had begun to pose a national security danger.Until this era, the absence of an overt military threat to American security allowed for a policy of civilian control of the military compatible with liberal democratic values.Traditionally, liberal solutions to domestic problems had likewise been applied to military problems, frequently resulting in failure. Seminal Treatise on the role of the Military in society
Incisive and remarkably relevant.Huntington delves into the role of the military in shaping and protecting a society.A MUST read for anyone who is in, or deals with the military. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Civil supremacy over the milit    2. Constitutional    3. General    4. Militarism    5. Military-Political Relationships    6. Politics / Current Events    7. United States    8. Political Science / General    9. Warfare & Defence   

Reviews (3)

Keep looking
I hate to say it because I've actually had both Prof. Stone and Sunstein as teachers and they are great men, but even with my personal bias for them, this is still a poorly written casebook.I used it for two classes - one that covered Equal Protection and one over the structure of government.The section of the book on Equal Protection isn't too bad.It has some nice historical material, and most people are already somewhat familiar with the cases anyway.However, the section of the book on government structure and the commerce clause is truly attrocious.The cases aren't well edited.Sometimes the result of a case will turn on a statute and the text and even title of that statute will have been edited out.Its hard to tell what is important from the cases consequently.There are long strings of cites in cases and the notes after the cases are cramped with no real headings and hard to make heads or tales of.Half the time you can't tell why you are reading a case - what your supposed to be getting out of it and how it relates to the other cases you've read.

Worst. Casebook. Ever.
I just want to reiterate the other review by saying that this is the WORST. CASEBOOK. EVER.