This authoritative text provides a framework for understanding individual liberty and governmental power and the institutional role played by the Supreme Court of the United States. Coverage in this new improved edition includes all the major topics of the subject: judicial review; commerce clause and state powers; federalism; separation of powers; congressional and executive powers; and individual civil rights and civil liberties. Includes diagrams that aid understanding of the fundamentals of our system of government. Extremely accessible and comprehensive — this is a paperback course in American Constitutional Law.
Q. Why this book, and why now?
A new edition to take into account important Supreme Court decisions and to update the theory chapter, which is a valuable summary of law review commentary and theorizing about the Constitution and the Court.
Q. Who should read this book?
The primary readership are students taking a Constitutional Law course who want to achieve a mastery of the subject. It distills four decades of my study and teaching and provides insights from someone who has had the privilege and honor of working at the High Court.
Q. What is the most important takeaway you hope your readers gain from this book?
That the balance between individual liberty and government power is a zero-sum game, i.e., more liberty means less power and less liberty means more power. The U.S. Constitution has three fundamental purposes: to establish the national government and constitute the three branches in a system of checks and balances; to structure the relationship between the national government and the states; and to define and protect individual rights. Separation of powers. Federalism. Individual rights. This book is a paperback course on the Constitution and the Supreme Court.
Thomas E. Baker began teaching law in 1977 and was a founding faculty member at FIU College of Law in 2002. He previously taught at Texas Tech University, University of Florida, University of Athens, Drake University, and the College of William & Mary. Baker is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and he was elected a Life Member of the American Law Institute.