The law of the land : a grand tour of our constitutional republic / Akhil Reed Amar.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Amar, Akhil Reed, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Constitutional law--United States--States.

Constitutional law.

Law.

United States.

Constitutions--United States--States.

Constitutions.

Law--United States--States.

United States. Constitution--2nd Amendment.

United States. Constitution--4th Amendment.

Constitutional law--United States.

Constitution (United States).

Constitutional law--U.S. states.

Constitutions--U.S. states.

Law--U.S. states.

Physical Description:

xii, 357 pages ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Basic Books, A Member of the Perseus Books Group, [2015]

Summary:

"From Illinois to Alabama, and from Florida to Utah, our laws and legal debates arise from distinctive local settings within our vast and varied nation. As the renowned scholar Akhil Amar explains, Abraham Lincoln's argument against the legality of succession can be traced to his Midwestern upbringing, just as a close look at the Florida legislature and state Supreme Court reveals the fundamental wrongness of the Bush v. Gore decision. Amar profiles Alabama's Hugo Black, the dominant constitutional jurist of the twentieth century, and California's Anthony Kennedy, the powerful swing justice on the current Court. He probes Brown v. Board of Education, and explores the divisiveness of the Second and Fourth Amendments. An expert guide to America's constitutional landscape, Amar sheds new light on American history and politics and shows how America's legal tradition unites a vast and disparate land. "-- Provided by publisher.

"In The Law of the Land, renowned legal scholar Akhil Reed Amar explores the most pressing questions in American jurisprudence through a close look at how our nation's geography has shaped its laws. Writing about Illinois, Amar discusses Lincoln's arguments against the legality of secession in the context of his upbringing on what was then the country's western frontier. Writing about New Jersey, he examines the career of Lord Camden, a British defender of the individual's rights against government intrusion, and the legacy of Camden's beliefs in that state's laws. Writing about Florida, Amar shows how a close look at the workings of the state legislature and state supreme court reveals the fundamental wrongness of the Bush v. Gore decision. His essay about gun-loving Utah, meanwhile, is a subtle examination of the second amendment that will infuriate both sides in the debate. Other states covered within include Iowa, Ohio, Massachusetts, Alabama, California, Kansas, and New York"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Part I: Constitutional Interpreters

Illinois: Abraham Lincoln and the American Union

Alabama: Hugo Black and the Hall of Fame

New York: Robert Jackson and the Judicialization of the Judiciary

California: Anthony Kennedy and the Ideal of Equality

Part II: Constitutional Cases

Kansas: Living in the Shadow of Brown v. Board

Iowa: Rereading Tinker v. Des Moines

Florida: Getting to the Bottom of Bush v. Gore

Part III: Constitutional Provisions and Principles

Ohio: A Buckeye-State View of Presidents Without Mandates

Texas: A Lone-Star View of Presidential Selection and Succession

Wyoming: A Rocky-Mountain View of the Second Amendment

Massachusetts: A Bay-State View of the Fourth Amendment

New Jersey: Lord Camden Meets Federalism.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 307-344) and index.

ISBN:

9780465065905

0465065902

OCLC:

888557165