Cases and Materials on Constitutional Law

The new edition of Farber, Eskridge, Frickey, and Schacter's Cases and Materials on Constitutional Law provides in-depth treatment of the most dramatic issues in constitutional law today--overturning long-established precedents on abortion and affirmative action, expansion of presidential power, and First Amendment incursions on anti-discrimination law. At the same time, originalism has become the Court's avowed constitutional methodology, a development the book probes in depth along with a consideration of rival constitutional theories. The book covers the evolution of "originalism" in response to the academic debates over Brown v. Board of Education, and continuing with in-depth examination of what original meaning teaches us about key constitutional provisions. The book also highlights the Court's recent shift toward traditionalism, which took many observers (including originalists) by surprise. Finally, the book broadens students' awareness of the way that social movements have shaped constitutional discourse, as preparation for the further doctrinal evolution they will undoubtedly encounter in their careers.