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Meeting the needs of professors who teach one-term courses--or for those teaching two terms who wish to assign other readings--this condensed and concise one-volume text spans the breadth of institutional powers and civil rights and liberties. Epstein and Walker emphasize political context--arguments and input from lawyers and interest groups, justices' ideological and behavioral inclinations, elected officials' partisan positions, as well as public opinion-- allowing students to see the development of constitutional doctrine within its decidedly political environment.

For this new fourth edition, material has been thoroughly updated through the end of the 2007-2008 term of the Supreme Court, with coverage and analysis of presidential signing statements, a survey of how legal principles affect the Court's decision making, and detailed overviews of recent cases, such as Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, Gonzales v. Raich, Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Council, Kelo v. City of New London, and Van Orden v. Perry. Additionally, Epstein and Walker are including a brand new, concise chapter on the Second Amendment with the recent District of Columbia v. Heller case.

Commentary helps students understand context of particular cases, while Aftermath boxes and profiles of influential groups and justices, photographs of litigants, and exhibits from cases enliven the text and enhance learning.