The Constitution - by Gloria J Browne-Marshall (Paperback)

About the Book

The Constitution: Major Cases and Conflicts provides students with a road map through the evolution of the Supreme Court and its decisions involving criminal justice, civil liberties, social justice and federalism, and the balance of powers between the three branches of government placed in a historical context with thoughtful questions for discussion.

Book Synopsis

Written primarily for undergraduate courses in criminal justice, constitutional law, and government, The Constitution: Major Cases and Conflicts offers the full text of many landmark Supreme Court cases, selected both for the combinations of constitutional issues they involve and for their continuing relevance today.

This text is of particular interest to criminal justice students because it includes civil cases as well. This is important because various situations involving First Amendment issues, such as protest, can give rise to criminal justice issues when protesters are arrested for disorderly conduct. Thus, this book exposes the criminal justice (and any other) student to both civil and criminal Supreme Court cases along with explanations of their social and historical importance.

The decisions in The Constitution: Major Cases and Conflicts, chosen from among the thousands available, involve multiple layers of legal conflict, so that by studying them, the student can come to understand converging ideals within the Constitution. They also offer insights into American culture that remain relevant to present-day society, and provide a road map through the evolution of the Supreme Court and its shifting reasoning on issues such as federalism, protest, the right to counsel, search and seizure, and civil rights.

Review Quotes

The Constitution: Major Cases and Conflicts is a masterful approach to understanding the U.S. Constitution. It leads the reader through the dynamics that surround the conflicts associated with the development and creation of the U.S. Constitution. This book serves as an interesting exercise in legal and historical analysis, successfully accomplished by Ms. Gloria Browne-Marshall's artistic, literary and legal skills-- Linda McDonald Carter, Esq., Director and Professor of Paralegal Studies, Criminal Justice and Political Science, Essex County College, New Jersey

A thorough and impressive overview of critical case that has helped shape law in America -- Pamela Meanes, Past President of The National Bar Association

About the Author

Gloria J. Browne-Marshall is a professor of constitutional law at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY. She has litigated cases for Southern Poverty Law Center, Community Legal Services, Inc., the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Inc. and has taught at Vassar College.