Resources on Constitutional Law

[archon]

I recently thought I would post a thread detailing some great resources for those out there who would like to know more about constitutional law.

The Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution has to be one of the best general interest works on the constitution, its history, and interpretation. The author does a brillant job articulating constitutional law and history while maintaining its high level of readability. This book is used in many high school constitutional law/principles classes. Although published in 2004, this work still contains principles of general constitutional law that are applicable today.

Although currently out of print, The Bill of Rights: A User's Guide is another great work by the same author. This work, as the title aptly tells us, is concentrated solely on the Bill of Rights and its interpretation throughout the history of our great republic. It provides a thorough and in-depth review of those first 10 amendments that embody our soceital views on freedom and liberty. The last edition was published in 2004 and is currently out of print. Although used copies can easily be found through sites such as www.abebooks.com.

The College Student Guide to the Law is an excellent resource for any college student or parent of a college student. It covers general criminal law, student rights, search and seizure, handling police encounters, and other great topics. I highly recommend it.

For those interested in criminal law and procedure (topics such as search and seizure, trail, arrest, etc.), I would recommend Criminal Law and Procedure by Scheb and Scheb. Many collegues I know that teach college classes on the side use this book. It is very readable and has edited and annotated excerpts from landmark Supreme Court cases or other topical cases which makes it more of an advanced read. This book is designed to be used in undergraduate college courses, so don't get it if you are not looking for that level of knowledge. Also, don't let the price scare you - since the book is used in college courses it is updated almost every two years and has a higher price point because of this. Look for a used copy that is an older edition and it shouldn't cost you more than $20 dollars or so. The information will still be timely and accurate, especially if you are just reading it to gain a general understanding in this area of law.

The Oxford Guide to United States Supreme Court Decisions is an excellent reference that provides concise and readable overviews of every case the Supreme Court has ever decided. It is an excellent resource to have available if you are doing reading in the subject area. I use mine almost daily.

If you are looking for a real advanced read on the subject or just a legal grade reference, then I would recommend the Principles to Constitutional Law Concise Hornbook. This is one of the more readable (and affordable) hornbooks out there on the market. It provides detailed and specific commentary on just about every constitutional law subject. This is the same book that your attorney would reference to gain a general understanding in a particular area. Beware - this is a law school level publication that might not be appropriate for all readers. Although I would consider it one of the more readable hornbooks it is still designed for law school students and legal professionals.

If you ever wanted to know how to conduct your own legal research or wondered how your attorney does it, then Basic Legal Research: Tools and Strategies is what you need to read. Again, this is a highly readable book that is designed for undergraduate students or laymen. It aptly explores various methods of legal research that your average citizen is capable of performing at a public library. I highly recommend the read, and it could end up saving you some money in the future when you find that with an evening in the library you can answer your own basic legal questions.

Finally, if you ever wanted to know how the police are taught the law then you should just read the same book that most police academies use for this subject. Criminal Law for Police Officers is that book. Beware that it is a book designed a textbook and it is written to the undergraduate level. But, if you can get past those hurdles, this will provide you with valuable insight into the exact knowledge base upon which police officers operate when enforcing the law.

Also, if you have further interest in gaining knowledge of the law, I highly recommend you contact your local college or community college and inquire about law classes. For a few hundred bucks and one night a week you can easily find a law class, usually taught by an actual practicing attorney, that will teach you undergraduate level legal principles and help you build a good base of legal knowledge.

Hope people find this post helpful.