Constitutional Law Hornbook (Hornbooks) [Hardcover]

John E. Nowak (Author), Ronald D. Rotunda (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2000 | ISBN-10: 0314237488 | ISBN-13: 978-0314237484 | Edition: 6th

Authoritative coverage analyzes the constitutional issues that are studied and litigated today. This text presents the origins of judicial review and federal jurisdiction, and the sources of national authority. Discusses federal commerce and fiscal powers. Overviews individual liberties and due process. Also covers freedom of speech and religion. Throughout the book, there are summations of the Supreme Court’s work and evaluations of the judicial process.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Is a Professor of Law at the University of Illinois College of Law. Previously, he was Assistant Counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee, practiced law in Washington, D.C., and clerked for Judge Walter R. Mansfield of the Second Circuit of Appeals. He has also served as a visiting Professor of Law at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy. A former editor of the Harvard Law Review, Professor Rotunda graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School and Harvard University. He is a member of the American Law Institute, a member of the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examining Committee, and a former editor of the Board of Contributing Editors of the Corporation Law Review. He has also authored Modern Constitutional Law: Cases and Notes, as well as various other books and articles on constitutional law and legal ethics.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1546 pages
• Publisher: West Publishing Company; 6th edition (August 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0314237488
• ISBN-13: 978-0314237484
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.8 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #162,201 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A staple of Constitutional Law, September 14, 2005

By 

FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Constitutional Law Hornbook (Hornbooks) (Hardcover)

Hornbooks have long been a staple resource for law students and legal researchers. This text by Nowak et al. is a good text for Constitutional Law - it is not comprehensive, in that it has intentionally excluded other areas (conflict of laws, criminal procedure, etc.) that are likely covered in other law classes. This text deliberately looks at the areas of Constitutional Law that are most frequently used and discussed in classes, in courts and in the media.

The authors present a very case-law based presentation. They do occasionally add extra elements (for example, they reference Corwin as a substantial predecessor; in addition to his case-law work, he is known for essays and lectures on the philosophical underpinnings of constitutional law, particularly the 'higher law' aspect of American regard for the Constitution).

The three primary sections of the text are I - Judicial Review, II - Federal System and Federal Powers, and III - Individual Rights and Liberties. Within the first section, the idea of judicial review, jurisdiction, and Supreme Court review are introduced; somewhat ironically, the idea of judicial review for Constitutionality by the Supreme Court and other courts is not itself a part of the Constitution. Within the second section, issues of federal authority, fiscal powers, commerce and regulation, Congressional and Presidential powers, and international affairs are addressed. In the final section, after an overview of individual liberties contained in the Bill of Rights and other amendments, discussions include substantive due process and procedural due process, equal protection, civil rights and citizenship.

The text includes appendices which include the list of justices of the Supreme Court, an interesting section of proposed amendments to the Constitution that were not ratified, and (not surprisingly) the text of the Constitution itself.

I take off one star for the editing that this volume needed to get but did not. While not detrimental to the content, the number of mistakes is occasionally distracting. This book really is intended for lawyers and future lawyers, so the language is often 'legal-ese', but for a thorough grounding in the area of constitutional law as done by the lawyers and judges, this is a good text to study.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Helpful, but not as extensive as others, December 11, 2006

By 

Stepone (TX) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Black Letter Outline on Constitutional Law (Black Letter Outlines) (Paperback)

I used this and the Emanuel's con law outlines. This one is no where near as thorough as Emanuel's, and it doesn't go as deep into the opinions (especially dissents, concurrences) but it has its own advantages. Mainly, this is great for having a very clear statement of the black letter law. It's not elementary, not any any means, and I really appreciated it when I was putting together my own outline, especially since my professor emphasized theory/interpretation in his lectures: this was great for putting everything into perspective.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Quick Review of Constitutionaol law, December 15, 2007

By 

Wrench (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black Letter Outline on Constitutional Law (Black Letter Outlines) (Paperback)

While not particually in depth (most concurrences/dissents are omitted), this text will give you the bread and butter of constitutional law. If you are a student who uses Barron's Con law textbook published by Lexisnexis, then this book will greatly help you as it will follow your text pretty closely.

For a more detailed understanding of the field, I would defintatley recommend a different supplement such as Emanuel or Chermensky.