American Constitutional Law, Volume II: The Bill of Rights and Subsequent Amendments

The study of the Constitution and constitutional law is of fundamental importance to understanding the principles, prospects, and problems of America. American Constitutional Law, Volume II provides a comprehensive account of the nation's defining document, comparing how its provisions were originally understood by those who drafted and ratified it with contemporary constructions. The authors examine the constitutional thought of the founders, as well as interpretations of the Constitution by the Supreme Court, Congress, the President, lower federal courts, and state judiciaries to provide students with a sense of how the law has been interpreted over the years.

Now fully updated, the ninth edition of this classic volume features several new cases including Caperton v. A. T. Massey Coal Company, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, Perry v. Brown, Snyder v. Phelps, and Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project.

Visit westviewconlaw.com for instructor resources, including recently decided cases, material from prior editions, and a glossary.

Ralph A. Rossum is Salvatori Professor of American Constitutionalism at Claremont McKenna College. He is the author or coauthor of ten books, including his most recent, The Supreme Court and Tribal Gaming. He has served in the U.S. Department of Justice and as a board member of its National Institute of Corrections. He currently serves on the California Advisory Committee of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission.

G. Alan Tarr is Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for State Constitutional Studies, Rutgers University, Camden. He is author of 12 books, including his most recent Without Fear or Favor. He has served as a constitutional consultant in Brazil, Burma, Cyprus, Russia, and South Africa. Three times an NEH Fellow, he is currently editor of a fifty-volume reference series on state constitutions.