Provides a quantitative history of the development of constitutional law in the United States during the past 150 years.

To ensure that you have the most up-to-date and complete materials for your Constitutional Law class, be sure to use Processes of Constitutional Decisionmaking, 2008 Case Supplement.

In this groundbreaking analysis of Supreme Court decision-making, Andrew Coan explains how judicial caseload shapes the course of American constitutional law and the role of the Court in American society. Compared with the vast machinery surrounding Congress and the president, the Supreme Court is a tiny institution that can resolve only a small fraction of the constitutional issues that arise in any given year. Rationing the Constitution shows that this simple yet frequently ignored fact is essential to understanding how the Supreme Court makes constitutional law. Due to the structural organization of the judiciary and certain widely shared professional norms, the capacity of the Supreme Court to review lower-court decisions is severely limited. From this fact, Andrew Coan develops a novel and arresting theory of Supreme Court decision-making. In deciding cases, the Court must not invite more litigation than it can handle. On many of the most important constitutional questions—touching on federalism, the separation of powers, and individual rights—this constraint creates a strong pressure to adopt hard-edged categorical rules, or defer to the political process, or both. The implications for U.S. constitutional law are profound. Lawyers, academics, and social activists pursuing social reform through the courts must consider whether their goals can be accomplished within the constraints of judicial capacity. Often the answer will be no. The limits of judicial capacity also substantially constrain the Court’s much touted—and frequently lamented—power to overrule democratic majorities. As Rationing the Constitution demonstrates, the Supreme Court is David, not Goliath.

The 2020 Supplement will include new materials on a wide range of different topics raised in 2020, one of the most eventful years in recent memory. New to the 2020 Edition: The Trump impeachment The government’s power to regulate during the coronavirus pandemic The Black Lives Matter protests and constitutional change The Supreme Court’s most recent abortion decision (June Medical) The Court’s latest cases on presidential power Bostock (Title VII) and its implications for gay and transgender constitutional rights

Extension of presidential leadership in foreign affairs to war powers has destabilized our constitutional order and deranged our foreign policy. Stephen M. Griffin shows unexpected connections between the imperial presidency and constitutional crises, and argues for accountability by restoring Congress to a meaningful role in decisions for war.

The purchase of this ebook edition does not entitle you to receive access to the Connected eBook with Study Center on CasebookConnect. You will need to purchase a new print book to get access to the full experience, including: lifetime access to the online ebook with highlight, annotation, and search capabilities; practice questions from your favorite study aids; an outline tool and other helpful resources. This hugely successful materials-and-problems book is acclaimed for its textual clarity, evenhanded perspective, and contemporary, up-to-date character. Easily distinguished from other property casebooks for its plain-language descriptions of legal doctrine; explanations of the social ramifications of our system of property law; emphasis on statutory and regulatory interpretation; comprehensive treatment of public accommodations and fair housing law, tribal property issues, and property in human bodies; and use of the problem method to teach legal reasoning and lawyering skills. Streamlined for more accessible teaching, the Eighth Edition has been thoroughly updated to reflect significant changes in the law of property, including in responses to the Covid-19 pandemic, in intellectual property, housing discrimination, regulatory takings, and more. Key Features: Updated to reflect significant changes in the law of property to help professors keep current and be aware of emerging disputes Streamlined to assist in making teaching from the casebook more accessible, without sacrificing coverage and depth New materials and problems have been added in an array of areas, including: The importance of race and slavery in shaping property law and distribution The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on several core areas of property law Growing questions about the balance between public accommodations and religious liberty, including Masterpiece Cakeshop, Inc. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, 138 S. Ct. 1719 (2018) and its aftermath Emerging caselaw on the rights of people experiencing homelessness; Shifts in property rights emerging from marriage and non-marital intimate relationships; New materials on the law and practice of trusts and the impact of reproductive technologies Recent developments in tribal sovereignty disputes, including McGirt v. Oklahoma, 140 S. Ct. 2452 (2020) Developments in intellectual property, including in copyright and fair use Shifts in fair housing law, including developments involving landlord responsibility for tenant-to-tenant discriminatory harassment Recent Supreme Court developments in the realm of regulatory takings, including Murr v. Wisconsin, 137 S.Ct. 1933 (2017), Knick v. Township of Scott, 139 S. Ct. 2162 (2019); and Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid (to be decided by the end of this Term) Professors and students will benefit from: Clear, concise, accessible coverage of core property doctrines, through caselaw, statutes, and regulatory materials Fully updated engagement with contemporary controversies in our system of property; and Excellent opportunities for problem- and exercise-based learning in every section