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American Constitutional Law
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PEDAGOGICAL FEATURES IN AMERICAN CONSTITUTIONAL LAW:
INTRODUCTORY ESSAYS AND SELECTED CASES (13th Edition, 2002)

  1. Detailed table of contents -- pp. v-xii

  2. Chronological list of cases -- front and rear "end papers". All cases reprinted in the book are arranged here by presidential term, with a notation on constitutionally significant events occurring outside the Supreme Court.

  3. Legal source materials -- See the description on pp. 34-38; Internet sites are included.

  4. Suggestions on reading a Supreme Court decision -- See pp. 38-39. This information is also contained in the syllabus.

  5. Charts and maps -- See pp. 26, 27, 202, 203, 401, 411.

  6. Essays and Cases -- Except for the Introduction (pp. 1-23) and Chapter One (each of which consists solely of an essay), the chapters in the book contain, first, a descriptive and analytical essay introducing the reader to a particular topic and, second, a series of cases which illustrate the development of that topic. Within the essays, names of cases reprinted in that chapter or in another chapter are printed in boldface italic type. Names of cases referred to but not reprinted in the book appear in ordinary italic type. (Example: see p. 90, where the Korematsu case is referred to in boldface italic type, and the Merryman case is referred to in italic type alone. The Korematsu case is reprinted at pp. 113-116.)

  7. Queries -- Several study questions (four, usually) appear at the end of the essay for each chapter. These are helpful for review. (Example: see p. 54.)

  8. Key terms -- At the end of the essay for each chapter, there is a list of important terms discussed in the essay. These are helpful for review. (Example: see p. 352).

  9. Selected readings -- A bibliography of books and articles relating to the topics covered in a chapter appears at the conclusion of each essay, following the key terms and the queries. (Example: see p. 420.)

  10. Chapter outlines -- The essay in each chapter is structured by "main heads" and "sub-heads." The latter form the parts of each main head. Main heads mark the principal divisions of a chapter and are printed flush left in boldface capital letters. Sub-heads mark the divisions of each main head and are printed in large/small capitals. The main heads and sub-heads alert the reader to the development of material in a chapter and serve as a convenient outline. [Example: see pp. 400-401, where "THE (OLD) DOUBLE STANDARD" is the main head ("I" in an outline) and "THE FAIR TRIAL RULE," "THE CONSTITUTION AND FEDERAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE," and "THE DUE PROCESS REVOLUTION" are sub-heads ("A", "B", C" in an outline).]

  11. Case citations – Printed immediately below the name of each reprinted case, citations locate the case in printed sources and on the Internet. (Example: see p. 558 for the citations for Minersville Sch. District v. Gobitis.)

  12. Headnotes -- These appear beneath the name and citation of each case reprinted in the book and just above the actual court opinion. A headnote typically summarizes the facts of a case and provides other information useful in understanding the judicial opinion that follows. The headnote concludes with the voting alignment of the justices in that case. The headnote is written by the authors of the book, and so is not part of the judicial opinion. (Example: see p. 378, for the headnote for Lochner v. New York.)

  13. Table 1: Justices of the Supreme Court --- Appearing on pp. 705-707, this table is a time chart of members of the Court, current through Justice Breyer’s appointment. Arranged by "natural courts," the table allows the reader to see the succession of justices during the two centuries of the Court's history, as well as the addition (and sometimes subtraction) of seats during the years 1789-1869. (The number of justices has been fixed at nine since 1869.) By referring to the years listed in the first column on the left, and then by looking straight across to the right, the reader can also tell at a glance the membership of the Court at a particular time. The chief justices are listed in the first column of names, just to the right of the column of years.

  14. Table 2: Presidents and Justices -- Appearing on pp. 708-711, this table is arranged according to presidential terms and depicts which presidents (from Washington through G.W. Bush) have appointed which justices (from Jay through Breyer), as well as other data.

  15. Index of Cases -- Printed on pp. 714-722, this index provides citations and points to the location in the essays where particular cases are discussed. Cases reprinted in the book are set in boldface type.

  16. Index of Justices -- Printed on pp. 723-724, this index points to the location in the essays where individual justices and other judges are mentioned. Boldface type indicates those justices whose opinions are reprinted in the book and the pages where their opinions may be found.

  17. Subject Index – Printed on pp. 725-728, this index points to the location within the essays of various topics discussed in the book.



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