Constitutional Law

Includes coverage of First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendment cases, as well as Equal Protection, privacy and general principles and terms.
Westlaw (ID and password required)

Political factors influence judicial decisions. Arguments and input from lawyers and interest groups, the ebb and flow of public opinion, and especially the ideological and behavioral inclinations of the justices all combine to influence the development of constitutional doctrine. This edition draws on political science as well as legal studies to analyze and excerpt landmark cases.

This single volume treatise, written primarily for students, covers the principles of constitutional law. Topics such as governmental powers, limits on state powers, due process, fundamental rights, and certain Amendments are discussed in depth.

Topics include: The Bill of Rights, constitutional litigation, speech, association, and religion, liberty and equality, civil justice, criminal justice, federalism, and separation of powers. It includes a table of cases, a table of laws and rules, and text of selected federal statutes.
Westlaw (ID and password required)

This hornbook covers the origins of judicial review, federal jurisdiction, sources of national authority, federal commerce power, federal power to tax and spend, international affairs, the President and Congress and other selected issues.

Focus is primarily on the Supreme Court and incorporates the political, historical, and economic background of court decisions. It analyzes constitutional questions in terms of precedent, political science theory, economics, and American history, helping to make cases understandable concerning both their overall significance and the precise legal rules they establish.
Westlaw (ID and password required)

There are multiple rights under the federal bill of rights – over two dozen, with freedom of speech, free exercise of religion, and due process of law being among the most frequently cited. For every right contained in the federal bill of rights, a state court or state constitution or state statute has expanded that right beyond the language interpretation accorded under federal law.
Lexis (ID and password required)

Covers all of the central concepts and issues. Structure of government issues revolve around the twin themes of federalism and separation of powers. Individual rights and liberties follow a concept organization-due process, equal protection, and first amendment.

Conservatives use the Constitution to advance their own agenda that favors business over consumers and employees, and government power over individual rights. Progressives have tried to preserve the legacy of the Warren Court's most important rulings and reacting to the Republican-dominated Supreme Courts by criticizing their erosion of rights, but have not yet developed a progressive vision for the Constitution itself. The promise of the Preamble--liberty and justice for all--can lead the continued fight to ensure democratic rule, effective government, justice, liberty, and equality.