Understanding Supreme Court Opinions [Paperback]

Going beyond the standard interpretation of Supreme Court opinions, this practical text delves into the legal reasoning behind the written opinions - the modes of persuasion and justification used by Supreme Court justices - to give readers a deeper understanding of how to read and interpret the decisions of our highest court.

An indispensable supplement to any constitutional law casebook, the sixth edition has been thoroughly updated, incorporating new material throughout the book on recent opinions issued by the Supreme Court.  It also includes a new Chapter 9, which discusses in greater depth the briefing of a case - Seattle School District No. 1;- and its analysis.

Preface  Introduction  Part 1  Chapter 1: The Supreme Court: Policy Maker and Teacher  Chapter 2: The Constitution in a Nutshell  Chapter 3: Opinion Writing in the Supreme Court  Chapter 4: The Legal Materials Used in Building a Constitutional Opinion  Chapter 5: Tests or Standards of Review  Chapter 6: Precedent  Chapter 7: Strategies of Justification  Conclusion: A Closer Look at Deduction (Optional): An AddendumTyll R. Van Geel is Professor Emeritus at the University of Rochester, USA.