Classic Supreme Court Cases

by Corey Brettschneider (editor)

Landmark cases address the origins of judicial review, racial discrimination, civil rights and liberties, The 14th amendment's Equal Protection Clause, reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, and federal government regulatory powers. A recommended classroom resource.

A Penguin Classic

With the Penguin Liberty series by Penguin Classics, we look to the U.S. Constitution's text and values, as well as to American history and some of the country's most important thinkers, to discover the best explanations of our constitutional ideals of liberty. Through these curated anthologies of historical, political, and legal classic texts, Penguin Liberty offers everyday citizens the chance to hear the strongest defenses of these ideals, engage in constitutional interpretation, and gain new (or renewed) appreciation for the values that have long inspired the nation. Questions of liberty affect both our daily lives and our country's values, from what we can say to whom we can marry, how society views us to how we determine our leaders. It is Americans' great privilege that we live under a Constitution that both protects our liberty and allows us to debate what that liberty should mean.

Genres: Nonfiction, Law

283 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 13, 2023

About the author

Corey Brettschneider is a professor of political science at Brown University, where he teaches constitutional law and politics. He has also been a visiting professor at Fordham Law School, The University of Chicago Law School and Harvard Law School. His writing has appeared in Time, Politico, and the New York Times. His new book is The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It.

Reviews

[Jimmacc · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up in a small Chicago book store. Once I started reading I got hooked. Ended up creating a OneNote page for my notes. Trying to keep up with definitions and prior case decisions that went into the discussed case got a little too much my memory.

Very interesting selection of cases and very timely with the current court cases. Interestingly, I now understand the conservative opinion on several cases better.

The book gives excerpts of both majority and minority opinions when the decisions are “anti progressive” but generally does not give a minority opinion excerpt when the decision is “progressive”. I wish this were not the case.

The last section deals with the electoral process, mostly redistricting but ends with Citizens United. So frustrating to read minority positions prediction of our current state.

I learned a great deal, and this book gave me a lot of background to appreciate the Constitution’s complexity. Half way through the book I bought the rest of this series (Penguin Liberty)….

I do hope this particular volume is updated occasionally, and is edited to always include excerpts from both majority and minority positions in all examined cases.

[Brandon Westlake · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an AP Government and Politics teacher, this book will be so useful for my upper level students. It is straight forward and to the point, and provides enough of the holdings in the cases that students can delve into the legal arguments but also not feel overwhelmed by their breadth and depth.
The court cases here are no-brainers; nothing obscure and nothing that would make me say "oh, the author must just really like this particular case" Organized around basic constitutional law concepts, the book can be used as a case study or analysis of larger issues.

Furthermore, there isn't a lot of commentary here, which I am grateful for. There is always interpretation in the law, and I respect the decision to let the law stand on its own merits, rather than being viewed through someone else's lens. Brevity, in this case, is more.

My only suggestion is it would be nice to really see the dissenting views, even if just a couple paragraphs. I think those are often overlooked documents (akin to the Anti-Federalists papers) that can still provide some useful insights. Perhaps a second volume?

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cases are fascinating. They would be good for any American to read to better understand the constitution and what it means. Even some of the now-infamous rulings of the court are more well reasoned and aware of their own downsides than one might expect. It gives the sense that the supreme court is a group of people who, while imperfect, are trying to apply the law sensibly and fairly.

The book also does a nice job of editing the lengthy official opinions down to the most important parts. I agree with other reviews that it would have been better to include more dissents.

I didn’t think the author’s own interludes were very good. He often encourages readers to think for themselves, but then immediately goes on to through highly partisan language more or less tell you what conclusion you ought to come to while thinking for yourself. He comes across as an activist seeking to twist the law to advance his agenda more than a sober interpreter of the law, in contrast to the actual opinions.

[Paigebrown · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you ever wanted to be infuriated go ahead and read Alito’s opinion in Dobbs

I have a lot of thoughts about this, but in general I did find this really enlightening and an important read particularly in these times to understand how the Supreme Court comes to decisions (even if they’re wrong in my mind a lot). If I learned anything reading this it’s that it seems the court is trending towards coming up with an opinion then working backwards to try to make the constitution fit into its arguments… this quote summed it up well for me: “it is revolting to have no better reason for a rule of law than so it was laid down in the time of Henry IV. It is still more revolting if the grounds upon which it was laid down have vanished long since, and the rule simply persists from blind imitation of the past”.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re a law, politics, or history junkie then you need to read this. If you want to see how the Thomas Court directly opposes landmark cases…you need to read this. If you want to understand our country better— you need to read this. We have one written civic duty and that’s to vote. Our unwritten civic duty is to be informed about the state of our country. If you want to understand the pillars of our society, you know what you should do? Read the damn book.

[Tomas Sandefer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and shows the great and tragic rulings of The United States Supreme Court from Dred Scott to United States v. Nixon, it shows the structure of the Supreme Court and of the judiciary system of the United States.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief, useful compilation of some of the most landmark supreme court cases. It was an interesting read, especially as a prospective law student. It’s something that everyone should read, I think, as it gives background information on cases that have, do, and will affect all of us.

[isa · Rating 3 out of 5]

flipping the page and going wowwww that’s classic. but actually i enjoyed this format, i do think including more dissents or reworking the sections so it emphasized the different eras could have been an option

[Zack Bentheimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book gives text straight from the decisions. While some may enjoy an analysis from the publisher/author, I thought this was a great way to let readers come to their own conclusions. I do wish however that more dissents were included.

[Markos Markakis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful peek into some of the core legalistic obsessions of the US.

[Fi]

thankful every day im not in law school.

[Emma North · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was honestly such a great read to help get me back engaged into reading

[Matt Atlas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a quick read, but it was vitally important and incredibly relevant. I wish I had read it sooner.

[Thomas Neff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to read about reasons for SC decisions and then reasons for why they were reversed.

[Moreen McGrath ❣️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good primer for starting to read the major cases. Probably would be best as an AP Gov classroom reference, and would have been better if it included more of the major dissents in crucial cases (a few were included!), but I think this can be a good, basic resource for just about anyone.