Constitutional Law for a Changing America: Rights, Liberties, and Justice

"Constitutional Law for a Changing America: Rights, Liberties, and Justice is superb. It entertains students while forcing them to think about the cases and issues. That is a rare achievement for a textbook."

– Robert M. Howard, Executive Director, Southern Political Science Association, Georgia State University

Judicial decisions are influenced by myriad political factors, from lawyers and interest groups, to the shifting sentiments of public opinion, to the ideological and behavioral inclinations of the justices. Authors Lee Epstein and Thomas G. Walker show how these dynamics shape the development of constitutional doctrine. Known for fastidious revising and streamlining, the authors incorporate the latest scholarship in the fields of both political science and legal studies and offer rock-solid analysis of both classic and contemporary landmark cases, including key opinions handed down through the 2015 session. Filled with additional supporting material―photographs of the litigants, sidebars comparing the U.S. with other nations, and "Aftermath" boxes that tell the stories of the parties′ lives after the Supreme Court has acted―the text encourages greater student engagement with the material and a more complete understanding of the American constitution.

Take your constitutional law class beyond the book with Epstein and Walker’s newly redesigned online Resource Center, featuring more than 500 excerpted, supplemental cases mentioned or referenced in the commentary of the Constitutional Law for a Changing America volumes!

Ensure FREE access―use bundle ISBN: 978-1-5063-3348-9. 

Lee Epstein (PhD, Emory University) is the University Professor of Law & Political Science and the Hilliard Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Southern California. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Academy of Political and Social Science. A recipient of 12 grants from the National Science Foundation, Epstein has authored or co-authored more than 100 articles and essays and 18 books. She is currently co-editing The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Judicial Behaviour. Professor Epstein’s empirical research is frequently cited in the New York Times, among other news media.

Thomas G. Walker (PhD, University of Kentucky) is the Goodrich C. White Professor Emeritus at Emory University, where he won several teaching awards for his courses on constitutional law and the judicial process. His book A Court Divided, written with Deborah J. Barrow, won the prestigious V. O. Key Award for the best book on Southern politics. He is the author of Eligible for Execution and coauthor of The Supreme Court Compendium: Data, Decisions, and Developments, 7th Edition, with Lee Epstein, Jeffrey A. Segal, and Harold J. Spaeth.