NCW Libraries

"For virtually all of Western legal history, when judges have considered the meaning of legal texts, their principal goal has been to identify the will of the lawmaker. There have always been arguments about whether those decisions should be based on the law's meaning as of the date of enactment or as updated in light of current conditions, but the core question for the process of interpretation has been how to apply the lawmaker's decision to the...

"Introduces young readers to primary sources related to the U.S. constitution"--

This book is a history of the Federal Convention in Philadelphia that resulted in the Constitution of the United States. A review of the events and personalities surrounding the Constitutional Convention of 1787 concluding with the debate and the final product.

"A must-read for this era."-Jake Tapper, CNN Anchor and Chief Washington Correspondent An insightful, urgent, and perennially relevant handbook that lays out in common sense language how the United States Constitution works, and how its protections are eroding before our eyes-essential reading for anyone who wants to understand and parse the constantly breaking news about the backbone of American government. The Constitution is the most significant...

"Though the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1788, its impact on our lives is as recent as today's news. Claims and counterclaims about the constitutionality of governmental actions are a habit of American politics. This document, which its framers designed to limit power, often has made political conflict inevitable. It also has accommodated and legitimized the political and social changes of a vibrant, powerful democratic nation. A product of history's...

A Yale Law School professor offers a thought-provoking analysis of the history and tenets of the U.S. Constitution, detailing the original intent of the creators of the document, answering questions about the text, and critically assessing the evolution of the Bill of Rights and all other amendments. In America's Constitution, one of this era's most accomplished constitutional law scholars, Akhil Reed Amar, gives the first comprehensive account of...

Lee tells the dramatic, little-known stories behind six of the Constitution's most indispensable provisions. He shows their rise and fall, and he makes vividly clear how nearly every abuse of federal power today is rooted in neglect of this lost constitution.

The life-long Democrat who played Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show puts out a call to all liberals to reclaim the constitution from the right-wingers who use it as justification for every horrible thing they want to do. Thanks to free public education, anyone can read the Constitution-- and should. The men who wrote it couldn't agree on what it meant, so should you trust someone who claims they do? Asner, a life-long Democrat, puts out a call...

An insider's account of the momentous ideological war between the John Roberts Supreme Court and the Obama administration. From the moment John Roberts, the Chief Justice of the United States, flubbed the Oath of Office at Barack Obama's inauguration, the relationship between the Supreme Court and the White House has been confrontational. Both men are young, brilliant, charismatic, charming, determined to change the course of the nation--and completely...

On September 17 every year, we remember the signing of the Constitution by the Founders who fought, struggled, argued, and compromised to secure the freedoms we now enjoy. It is also a popular day for new citizens to pledge their allegiance to the United States. Discover the history of this patriotic day!