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<b>Introduction 1</b> <p><b>Part I: Studying Constitutional Law: The Foundations 9</b></p> <p>Chapter 1: Understanding the Constitution 11</p> <p>Chapter 2: Constitutional Law: A View from 30,000 Feet 33</p> <p>Chapter 3: Mapping Out Key Concepts and Distinctions in Constitutional Law 49</p> <p><b>Part II: Allocating Governmental Roles 59</b></p> <p>Chapter 4: “Constituting” a New Federal Government 61</p> <p>Chapter 5: Charting the Reach of National Government Powers 83</p> <p>Chapter 6: Sorting Out National Powers: Inter-Branch Conflict and Cooperation 105</p> <p>Chapter 7: The Constitution and Federalism 125</p> <p><b>Part III: Protecting Property Rights and Avoiding Arbitrary Action141</b></p> <p>Chapter 8: Avoiding Arbitrary Government Action: Due Process of Law 143</p> <p>Chapter 9: Protecting Property: Land, Contracts, and Guns 161</p> <p>Chapter 10: Preventing Government from Discriminating 177</p> <p><b>Part IV: Rights to Self-Expression and Political Participation 199</b></p> <p>Chapter 11: "Express Yourself!" Freedom of Speech 201</p> <p>Chapter 12: The Constitution and Religion 225</p> <p>Chapter 13: Getting Involved: Voting and Becoming or Supporting a Candidate 247</p> <p><b>Part V: Understanding Privacy Rights 263</b></p> <p>Chapter 14: Implied Privacy Rights — Fundamental and Otherwise 265</p> <p>Chapter 15: Preventing Unreasonable Searches and Seizures 289</p> <p>Chapter 16: The Right against Self-Incrimination 311</p> <p><b>Part VI: The Part of Tens 331</b></p> <p>Chapter 17: Ten Landmark Court Decisions about Governmental Structure 333</p> <p>Chapter 18: Ten (Plus Three) Top Individual-Rights Cases 341</p>

<b>Glenn C. Smith</b> is a professor of constitutional law at California Western School of Law in San Diego, CA, and creator of a nationally recognized seminar in which law students learn about the Supreme Court by role-playing as current justices and lawyers arguing before them. <p><b>Patricia Fusco</b> is a government attorney and a criminal prosecutor working in the California Attorney General's Office, Special Crimes Unit. As a trial attorney, she deals with issues of constitutional law on a daily basis.</p>

<b>Discover the ins and outs of constitutional law</b> <p>Are you looking for trusted, plain-English guidance on the ins and outs of constitutional law? Look no further! <i>Constitutional Law For Dummies</i> provides a detailed study guide tracking to this commonly required law course. Explaining complicated legal jargon in modern, easy-to-understand language, it's just what you need for quick learning and complete understanding.</p> <ul> <li> <p>Constitutional Law 101 — get a handle on the historical perspective of the Constitution and gain an appreciation of the overall context of the document</p> </li> <li> <p>Checks and balances and Federal/state relations — discover the basic formulas modern jurists use to resolve controversies over national government powers</p> </li> <li> <p>Keep it to yourself — take a look at how the Constitution protects rights to privacy at home and in public</p> </li> <li> <p>Fight for your rights — understand how the Constitution and Bill of Rights were made to protect individual liberties and property rights</p> </li> <li> <p>Express yourself — find out how speech is protected, how separate church and state should really be, and how the Constitution shapes the "rules of engagement" in the political arena</p> </li> </ul> <p><b>Open the book and find:</b></p> <ul> <li> <p>The basics for understanding the Constitution as a whole</p> </li> <li> <p>Equal-protection guarantees for Americans</p> </li> <li> <p>The 4-1-1 on freedom of speech and press</p> </li> <li> <p>A detailed roadmap of the "separation of powers"</p> </li> <li> <p>What's left of (and for) the states</p> </li> <li> <p>The right to vote, associate with political parties, and run for government office</p> </li> </ul> <p><b>Learn to:</b></p> <ul> <li> <p>Break down complicated material into easy-to-understand parts</p> </li> <li> <p>Grasp the parameters and applications of the U.S. Constitution</p> </li> <li> <p>Understand the ins and outs of the Supreme Court and constitutional interpretation</p> </li> </ul>

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