American Constitutional Law: Introductory Essays and Selected Cases

by Alpheus Thomas Mason

This classic collection of carefully selected and edited Supreme Court case excerpts and comprehensive background essays explores constitutional law and the role of the Supreme Court in its development and interpretation. Well-grounded in both theory and politics, it displays the role of the U.S. Supreme Court as a legal AND political institution and as a major player in American government. Features 10 cases decided in 2000; several quick-reference charts, tables, graphs, and maps; and an easy-access section on "How to Read a Supreme Court Case." A Political Supreme Court. Jurisdiction and Organization of the Federal Courts. The Constitution, the Supreme Court, and Judicial Congress, the Court, and the President. Federalism. The Electoral Process. The Commerce Clause. National Taxing and Spending Power. Property Rights and the Development of Due Process. Criminal Justice and the Nationalization of the Bill of Rights (drive for a Bill of Rights; nationalization of the Bill of Rights; the exclusionary rule; searches and seizures; right to counsel and self-incrimination; capital punishment). Freedom of Expression (internal security; protest and symbolic speech; freedom of association; print and electronic media). Religious Liberty. Privacy. Equal Protection of the Laws. For those interested in American Constitutional Law, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, American Constitutional History or Development.

Genres: Nonfiction, Law, College

684 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

A specialist in the American Constitution and the author of several judicial biographies, Alpheus Thomas Mason was McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence Emeritus at Princeton University. He received his BA from Dickinson College in 1920 and his PhD from Princeton University in 1923, and he taught at Princeton from 1925 until his retirement in 1968.