Because political factors influence judicial decisions, Constitutional Law for a Changing America draws on political science as well as legal studies to excerpt and analyze cases. With meticulous revising and a sharp new interior design, the authors streamline material while accounting for recent landmark cases and new scholarship.

Ideal for a one semester course, the Short Course offers all of the hallmarks of the Rights and Powers volumes in a more condensed format.

Updates to the fifth edition include:

- expanded treatment of both legal and social-scientific approaches to the Court′s decision-making;

- a new section on student rights with an excerpt from Morse v. Frederick;

increased coverage of hateful and offensive speech with an excerpt from Snyder v. Phelps;

- a new section on voter identification with an excerpt from Crawford v. Marion County Election Board;

- updated discussion of campaign reform legislation with an excerpt from the controversial Citizens United v. FEC decision.