Political factors influence judicial decisions. Arguments and input from lawyers and interest groups, the ebb and flow of public opinion, and especially the ideological and behavioral inclinations of the justices all combine to influence the development of constitutional doctrine. Constitutional Law for a Changing America draws on political science as well as legal studies to analyze and excerpt cases.

With meticulous revising and updating throughout, Epstein and Walker streamline material while accounting for recent landmark cases and new scholarship. This seventh edition features two important improvements:

- a completely revamped interior layout and design that clearly delineates between commentary and opinion excerpts while more effectively showcasing photos, justice biographies, and the “Aftermath” and “Global Perspective” sidebars.
- the case commentary not only details the case “Facts” but now includes an “Arguments” section that details the attorneys’ arguments for each side, leading to more focused and effective reading of the case.

Cases new to this edition of Rights, Liberties, and Justice include Morse v. Frederick (2007), United States v. Williams (2008), Arizona v. Grant (2009), Safford Unified School District #1 v. Redding (2009), Herring v. United States (2009), Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1 (2007), Meredith v. Jefferson County Board of Education (2007), and Crawford v. Marion County Election Board (2008).

With meticulous revising and updating throughout, Epstein and Walker streamline material while accounting for recent landmark cases and new scholarship. This seventh edition features two important improvements:

• a completely revamped interior layout and design that clearly delineates between commentary and opinion excerpts while more effectively showcasing photos, justice biographies, and the “Aftermath” and “Global Perspective” sidebars.
• the case commentary not only details the case “Facts” but now includes an “Arguments” section that details the attorneys’ arguments for each side, leading to more focused and effective reading of the case.

Cases new to this edition of Rights, Liberties, and Justice include Morse v. Frederick (2007), United States v. Williams (2008), Arizona v. Grant (2009), Safford Unified School District #1 v. Redding (2009), Herring v. United States (2009), Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1 (2007), Meredith v. Jefferson County Board of Education (2007), and Crawford v. Marion County Election Board (2008).

CQ Press is pleased to comply with the Higher Education Opportunity Act. Please email heoacompliance@cqpress.com for additional information that may be available. Be sure to include your name, contact information, academic affiliation, and the title, author, and edition of the book in question.

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Part I. The Supreme Court and the Constitution

1. Understanding the U.S. Supreme Court
2. The Judiciary: Institutional Powers and Constraints
3. Incorporation of the Bill of Rights

Part II. Civil Liberties

4. Religion: Exercise and Establishment
5. Freedom of Speech, Assembly, and Association
6. Freedom of the Press
7. The Boundaries of Free Expression: Obscenity and Libel
8. The First Amendment and New Media
9. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms
10. The Right to Privacy

Part III. The Rights of the Criminaly Accused

11. Investigations and Evidence
12. Attorneys, Trials, and Punishments

Part IV. Civil Rights

13. Discrimination
14. Voting and Representation

“Constitutional Law for a Changing America: Rights, Liberties and Justice is a great textbook. I love it and have used it since the second edition. The authors do not simply excerpt the Court's majority and accompanying concurring and dissenting opinions in key cases, they set the political and social context in which the case was brought. Furthermore, after each case, they provide a succinct discussion of the implications of the Court’s legal ruling. What makes the presentation in the book powerful is the clarity of the writing, along with the authors' use of empirical research findings to buttress many of the arguments presented in the text. The presentation makes it easy for me to conduct my constitutional law class in a seminar style.”

"Epstein and Walker’s Constitutional Law for a Changing America: Rights Liberties and Justice occupies a unique space in the constitutional law casebook market and, in my estimation, is the best text available. Its distinctive feature is the use of political science theory and evidence to elucidate the causes and consequences of legal change at the Supreme Court. In so doing, students are made aware of the underlying political, legal, and contextual factors that lead the Supreme Court to interpret the Constitution in a particular way at a given point in time. It thus allows students and instructors to couple social scientific research with traditional case-based, exegetical analysis of the Court's opinions. The online supplement to the book is also a valuable resource that allows for the inclusion of case excerpts from recently-decided cases."

“Lee Epstein and Thomas Walker's Constitutional Law for a Changing America: Rights, Liberties, and Justice is ideal for my students. It engages my students by clearly explaining the doctrine and ramifications of key Supreme Court decisions. It also explains Supreme Court decision-making through legal, extra legal, and environmental frameworks. I have used the book for the last fifteen years, and my students consistently give the text high marks on my evaluations.”

Lee Epstein is the Rader Family Trustee Chair in Law and the Provost Professor of Law and Political Science at the University of Southern California. She is also a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Academy of Political and Social Science. She received her Ph.D. from Emory University. She is coauthor of The Supreme Court and Legal Change: Abortion and the Death Penalty (1992) with Joseph Kobylka; Advice and Consent: The Politics of Judicial Appointments (2005) with Jeffrey A. Segal; The Supreme Court Compendium: Data, Decisions, and Developments, 4th ed. (2007) with Segal, Harold J. Spaeth, and Thomas G. Walker; and The Choices Justices Make (1998) with Jack Knight, which won the C. Herman Pritchett Award for the best book on law and courts. In addition, she is coauthor, with Walter F. Murphy and C. Herman Pritchett of Courts, Judges and Politics, 6th ed. (2006).

Thomas G. Walker is Goodrich C. White Professor of Political Science at Emory University where he has won several teaching awards for his courses on constitutional law and the judicial process. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky. His book, A Court Divided, written with Deborah J. Barrow, won the prestigious V.O. Key Award for the best book on southern politics. He is the coauthor of The Supreme Court Compendium: Data, Decisions, and Developments, 4th ed. (2007) with Lee Epstein, Jeffrey A. Segal, and Harold J. Spaeth.

Precedent-setting resources at http://clca.cqpress.com

New study aids for students. . .
With more than 400 supplemental cases that are mentioned or referenced in the text’s commentary, this online archive has been compiled and edited with great care—the authors have excerpted each case in the same format as those in the text, featuring the justices’ votes, a summary of case facts, and a carefully edited version of the justices’ opinions. The authors continue to post recent cases as soon as each Supreme Court term ends, keeping this invaluable resource as current as possible.

Students will also find interactive online flashcards with glossary terms and archival materials for selected landmark cases with audio clips, docket sheets, conference notes, and key memos sent between the justices.

As with other editions of Constitutional Law for a Changing America, students purchasing new copies will enjoy free access to http://clca.cqpress.com. Students with used copies may purchase access here.

Instructor's Resources available for adopters!

Instructor's Resources (created by Timothy Johnson, University of Minnesota) include:

• Discussion questions for every chapter
• The book’s tables, figures, and photos available for download
• PowerPoint lecture slides for every chapter
• And revised and update test questions that include multiple-choice, essay, and hypotheticals.