Calabresi and Lawson's The U.S. Constitution: Creation, Reconstruction, the Progressives, and the Modern Era, 2d

The U.S. Constitution: Creation, Reconstruction, the Progressives, and the Modern Era (2d ed. 2025), is the most complete, historically grounded, and textually-oriented casebook treatment of the original Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Reconstruction amendments, and modern constitutional developments. The book contains unique background on the drafting and ratification of the Constitution that puts all subsequent doctrinal developments into context. It follows the text of the Constitution, starting with the Preamble and ending with the Twenty-Seventh Amendment, containing material on literally every clause in between—which, astonishingly, is done by no other casebook. It provides the historical evolution of important areas of doctrine without sacrificing coverage of modern law. And, given the Supreme Court’s recent and likely continuing turn towards originalism, the book contains extensive treatment of original meaning by two of the academy’s leading originalist theorists, while also providing ample material on the many other modalities of interpretation that drive constitutional doctrine. Furthermore, this casebook delves deeply into the separation of powers, federalism, and Reconstruction with an historical and theoretical focus that no other book can match.

This new edition is fully updated through the end of the October 2024 Supreme Court term in June 2025, with an educated eye towards possible future doctrinal development. This edition contains nine new principal cases, a dozen new note cases, and numerous new textual notes and questions that take account of recent developments in both doctrine and scholarship.

Both authors are highly accomplished scholars who have published numerous university press books, law review articles, and casebooks. They know how a casebook differs from a university press book or a law review article, and this makes their casebook very user-friendly. The book’s modular structure of material into discrete “assignments” allows instructors to shape the course to fit the needs of their classes.