Constitutional Law: Governmental Powers and Individual Freedoms, Updated Edition, 4th edition

Daniel E Hall
John P Feldmeier Miami University of Ohio

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For courses in constitutional law.

A contemporary take on constitutional law

Constitutional Law introduces the core principles, cases and doctrines of constitutional law. Flexible in design, it can be used in a study of governmental powers, civil liberties or both. By examining real cases and contemporary legal scenarios, Authors Daniel Hall and John Feldmeier make constitutional law relevant rather than theoretical.

The 4th Edition includes new cases and rulings addressing civil liberties and criminal procedure, including landmark rulings of the 2021-2022 SCOTUS term. The new edition also adds analysis of constitutional issues raised by state and federal responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hallmark features of this title

Critical-thinking challenges

Modern Challenges feature in each chapter predicts the constitutional questions courts might soon face.
Your Constitutional Values feature in each chapter raises awareness of the prevalence of constitutional law in all areas of government.
Constitutional Law in Action feature at the end of each chapter prompts students to complete real legal assignments, such as outlining an argument for an appellate brief.

Enriching resources

Key documents in the appendices include the US Constitution, selected statutes, select Federalist papers, select Executive Orders and the history of US Supreme Court justices by seat.
A companion website explores constitutional law and civil liberties through video and audio recordings of appellate oral arguments.

New and updated features of this title

Recent and significant cases

NEW: The Court's opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (2022) now appears in Chapter 11. With this decision, the Court fundamentally altered the constitutional landscape for abortion regulations by reversing its landmark 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade.
NEW: The Court's decision in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen has been added to the updated 4th Edition, among other key decisions of the 2021-2022 SCOTUS term.
EXPANDED: New Supreme Court rulings have been added to the “liberties” half of the text. They include Bostock v. Clayton County (employment discrimination) and Trump v. Hawaii (travel bans).
EXPANDED: New cases and updates in criminal procedure have been added. This includes an expanded section on police use of deadly force and the Court's opinions in Carpenter v. United States (warrantless search of cell phone records).

Contemporary issues raising constitutional questions

NEW: Constitutional issues resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have been added. Included are questions of liberty and authority raised by state and federal responses.
NEW: Issues from the latter years of the Obama administration and first three years of the Trump administration are now addressed. This includes Obama's nomination of Judge Garland to SCOTUS, the appointment of Justice Kavanaugh and the Emoluments Clause controversy.

Learning resources

EXPANDED: New figures, photographs and illustrations illuminate topics and break up dense sections.

Highlights of the DIGITAL UPDATE for Pearson+ eTextbook for the 4th Edition (available for Fall 2023 classes)

Instructors, contact your sales rep to ensure you have the most recent version of the course.

NEW: The 4th Edition update integrates key decisions of the 2021-2022 SCOTUS term, including Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization; New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen; Kennedy v. Bremerton School District; and the overturn of Roe v. Wade.
NEW: The Court's new emphasis on text, history and tradition as an interpretive method is a new point of focus in this updated edition.

Constitutionalism and Rule of Law
Dividing Governmental Power
The Judiciary: Its Role and Jurisdiction
Congress
The Presidency
Administrative Agencies in the Constitutional Scheme
Contemporary Federalism: The State and Federal Relationship
The Bill of Rights
First Amendment Freedoms of Expression, Association, and Press
Religion and the Constitution
Substantive Due Process: Privacy, Personal Autonomy, and Other Liberties
Equal Protection
Civil Liberties in the Criminal Justice System

APPENDICES

Constitution of the United States of America

Access more appendices on the textbook website.

Glossary

About our authors

Daniel E. Hall earned his bachelor’s degree at Indiana University, his Juris Doctor at Washburn University and his Doctor of Education in higher education curriculum and instruction at the University of Central Florida. He worked as an intern in the U.S. House of Representatives and at the Brookings Institution before attending law school, and he was law clerk to both the Honorable Gene E. Brooks, Chief Judge, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, and the Supreme Court of the Federated States of Micronesia immediately following law school. He has practiced law in both the United States and in Micronesia, where he served as assistant attorney general following his judicial clerkship with the Supreme Court of the Federated States of Micronesia. In this capacity, he litigated some of the young nation’s first cases, addressing important constitutional and traditional law issues. He has been a member of the faculties of the University of Central Florida, the University of Toledo and Miami University, where he is currently a professor of justice and community studies and political science and an affiliate professor of global and intercultural studies. He is also a visiting professor of law at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China. He is the author or coauthor of 24 textbooks, including revisions, and a dozen journal articles on public law subjects. He is the father of Grace Kathryn Hall and Eva Joan Hall. Daniel welcomes you to email your comments and suggestions for this book.

John P. Feldmeier earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Ohio Dominican College, his Juris Doctor from Capital University Law School and his MA and PhD in political science from Miami University. Before joining the academy, Dr. Feldmeier practiced law in Ohio, handling numerous cases involving important constitutional issues, including one case that reached the U.S. Supreme Court. Dr. Feldmeier has published several articles on constitutional subjects in law reviews and political science journals. He is currently a professor of political science at Wright State University and an adjunct professor of law at the University of Dayton School of Law. John resides in Cincinnati, Ohio, with his wife, Melissa, and their two children, Emma and Jack.

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