Constitutional Law and Politics, Sixth Edition, Volume 1 [Paperback]

David M. O'Brien (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 039392565X | ISBN-13: 978-0393925654 | Publication Date: June 6, 2005 | Edition: 6

Now in its Sixth Edition, Constitutional Law and Politics is the authoritative casebook for the study of the Supreme Court and its role in politics past and present. This comprehensive text presents a wide range of excerpts and opinions from the most significant Supreme Court cases and provides the contextual material students need to interpret their historical significance. The Sixth Edition adds material on dozens of important recent cases, current through June 2004, and features carefully updated and refined pedagogy.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David M. O'Brien is Leone Reaves and George W. Spicer Professor of Government and Foreign Affairs at the University of Virginia, where he teaches the popular constitutional law course on which his book Constitutional Law and Politics (now in its Sixth Edition) is based. Professor O'Brien is a regular commentator on the Supreme Court's activities and rulings. He is the author of over fifteen books and regularly contributes op-ed pieces on the Court to the Los Angeles Times.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1081 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 6 edition (June 6, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039392565X
• ISBN-13: 978-0393925654
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #849,131 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Prepare for an aching brain, June 3, 2009

By 

Guy Smith (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Constitutional Law and Politics, Sixth Edition, Volume 1 (Paperback)

Constitutional law is about as arcane a subject as you could never want to study. This series of books does the field justice by requiring the reader to keep a bottle of aspirin handy.

That aside, the book is well thought out in presentation of the intertwined aspects of law and politics, and how the courts worm their way through both. For example, between explanations of the origin of constitutional clauses and case opinions, there are usable data references (charts on case loads over the supreme court's history and a table of how often the court has reversed previous decisions, and alarmingly more frequent trend).

Net-net is that the book's organization helps the reader reach a fuller understanding of American constitutional law and the strengths (and weaknesses) therein. Be warned though -- these are not books for beginners. If you are new to con law, start with a broad overview like "The Words We Live By" before plunging into the sausage making factory disclosed in this book.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars NICE WORK IF YOU CAN SEE IT, February 23, 2007

By 

Deep Reader (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Constitutional Law and Politics, Sixth Edition, Volume 2 (Paperback)

Professor O'Brien must surely be making valuable contributions with his numerous works, and this one should have been most helpful to me. But he or his publisher have opted for pretty, pale grey print -- almost impossible for middle-aged eyes to read without strain. I had ordered five of his books from Amazon and reluctantly returned them all.

0 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Value, February 12, 2009

By 

Mark M. Thomas - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Constitutional Law and Politics, Sixth Edition, Volume 2 (Paperback)

This books was $75 less than if I would have bought it in my college bookstore.