The Law of the Land: A Grand Tour of Our Constitutional Republic

Posted on by Akhil Reed Amar
The Law of the Land A Grand Tour of Our Constitutional Republic From Kennebunkport to Kauai from the Rio Grande to the Northern Rockies ours is a vast republic While we may be united under one Constitution separate and distinct states remain each with its own

From Kennebunkport to Kauai, from the Rio Grande to the Northern Rockies, ours is a vast republic While we may be united under one Constitution, separate and distinct states remain, each with its own constitution and culture Geographic idiosyncrasies add than just local character Regional understandings of law and justice have shaped and reshaped our nation throughFrom Kennebunkport to Kauai, from the Rio Grande to the Northern Rockies, ours is a vast republic While we may be united under one Constitution, separate and distinct states remain, each with its own constitution and culture Geographic idiosyncrasies add than just local character Regional understandings of law and justice have shaped and reshaped our nation throughout history America s Constitution, our founding and unifying document, looks slightly different in California than it does in Kansas.In The Law of the Land, renowned legal scholar Akhil Reed Amar illustrates how geography, federalism, and regionalism have influenced some of the biggest questions in American constitutional law Writing about Illinois, the land of Lincoln, Amar shows how our sixteenth president s ideas about secession were influenced by his Midwestern upbringing and outlook All of today s Supreme Court justices, Amar notes, learned their law in the Northeast, and New Yorkers of various sorts dominate the judiciary as never before The curious Bush v Gore decision, Amar insists, must be assessed with careful attention to Florida law and the Florida Constitution The second amendment appears in a particularly interesting light, he argues, when viewed from the perspective of Rocky Mountain cowboys and cowgirls.Propelled by Amar s distinctively smart, lucid, and engaging prose, these essays allow general readers to see the historical roots o

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The Law of the Land: A Grand Tour of Our Constitutional Republic

  1. Akhil Reed Amar is currently Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University, where he teaches constitutional law in both Yale College and Yale Law School He received his B.A, summa cum laude, in 1980 from Yale College, and his J.D in 1984 from Yale Law School, where he served as an editor of The Yale Law Journal After clerking for Judge Stephen Breyer, he joined the Yale faculty in 1985 In 1994 he received the Paul Bator award from the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy, and in 1997 he was awarded an honorary doctorate of law by Suffolk University In 1995 the National Law Journal named him as one of 40 Rising Stars in the Law, and in 1997 The American Lawyer placed him on their Public Sector 45 list His work on the Bill of Rights also earned the ABA Certificate of Merit and the Yale University Press Governor s Award He has delivered endowed lectures at over two dozen colleges and universities, and has written widely on constitutional issues for such publications as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, The New Republic, and Slate He is also a contributing editor to The American Lawyer His many law review articles and books have been widely cited by scholars, judges, and lawmakers for example, the Justices of the United States Supreme Court have invoked his work in than twenty cases, and he has testified before Congress on a wide range of constitutional issues Along with Dean Paul Brest and Professors Sanford Levinson, Jack Balkin, and Reva Siegel, Professor Amar is the co editor of a leading constitutional law casebook, Processes of Constitutional Decisionmaking He is also the author of several books, including The Constitution and Criminal Procedure First Principles Yale Univ Press, 1997 , The Bill of Rights Creation and Reconstruction Yale Univ Press, 1998 , America s Constitution A Biography Random House 2005 , and most recently, America s Unwritten Constitution The Precedents and Principles We Live By Basic Books, 2012 om law.yale faculty amarb

264 Reply to “The Law of the Land: A Grand Tour of Our Constitutional Republic”

  1. In this collection of brisk yet nuanced thematic essays, renowned legal scholar Akhil Reed Amar examines the various ways different states have directly or indirectly affected the development and interpretation of the Constitution While not a comprehensive overview of either the states or the Constitution, Amar provides an interesting mix of topics, ranging from the headlining constitutional provisions that are regularly contested in courts and public discourse the 2nd and 4th Amendments , to o [...]

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  2. The authors views on the American Constitutional Republic uses cases studies of actions involving several states and individuals I get the impression that the author believes the Constitution is a changing document that should reflect the views of those in power.

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  3. I actually picked up Law of the Land after sitting in on one of Akhil Reed Amar s lectures, where he offered copies of each of his books for 20 No better primer for a course than reading the author s most recent book, right In Law of the Land, Amar set out to interpret America s Constitution in a geographical context, looking at how court cases and constitutional interpreters of different regions shaped the way we see the Constitution today In reality, this is mostly a collection of essays, and [...]

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  4. This is the third book in a series by Amar, a Yale law professor The series aims to make the U.S Constitution accessible to all Americans I was a bit vexed to learn on the very last page that I was reading the third book in a series, because normally I prefer to do things in sequence I might have fully grasped the third book s concepts had I read the first two books first But no matter it was still a good book, with many ideas that were new and interesting to me.The book focuses on geography ho [...]

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  5. Brilliant constitutional scholar Oh to be so lucky as to go to Yale and have Akhil as your constitutional law professor Next best thing is to read his books This latest is a must read for those who love the Constitution.

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  7. This is what you get when a pompous, Ivy League person thinks too much of himself His self congratulatory text makes me fell as if he probably injured himself while patting himself on the back He also spends too much time whining in a Yale v Harvard rivalry showing his East Coast focus.It s not really a book, but a series of independent articles about different aspects of Constitutional law It s mostly ok Not much new but also not much that s terrible I ll even ignore the concept that he conside [...]

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  8. Very good introduction to how the SCOTUS functions in relation to the Constitution, states, and common law The author is very knowledgeable and his writing style does not require that you have a background in law Focusing on different states Amar blends history, geography, and the reality of American life from our founding to present and how these factors have influenced our interpretation of the constitution Well balanced, his chapter on the 2nd Amendment was particularly insightful to the myri [...]

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  9. Amar is a wonderful writer, and a cogent and persuasive thinker But I found this book a little disappointing The chapters on case studies Brown, Tinker are not nearly as original as the chapters dealing with portions of the constitution that are equally important, but less often the subject of Supreme Court litigation And the geographical threads felt forced at times For example, there was only a little about New York in the chapter about Justice Jackson, and not much about Iowa in the chapter o [...]

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  10. Great concept, weak executionSolid 3.5 stars Great information and exploration of the evolving interpretations of several key phrases and amendments, but weak in the promised regional angle There s a compelling story to be told if the geographical connection and context of amendments, but unfortunately the author doesn t really deliver, and the base level of expected legal knowledge is higher than what even a well educated, 40 year old possesses Tough read.

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  11. Dr Reed teaches at Yale Law School and it s my layman s impression the students are in good hands Good discussion of several Justices several landmark cases and the influence of geography on the constitution, an interesting take Well worth it for those who have an interest in the constitution.

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  12. This book is a great geographical introduction to constitutional law For one who has not thought much about this topic since high school civics class, his writing and explanations are clear and give life to current legal issues and political discussions I look forward to reading his other books.

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  13. Very Akhil Amar Alternatively brilliant and the odd disturbingly large stretch on the basis of transparently thin evidence At those moments, I can t help but think of the old saw Why didn t Akhil Amar cross the street Because he couldn t see the other side.

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  14. Brilliant If you read any con law books this year read this one and Chemerinsky s Case Against the Supreme Court.

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  15. Lots of interesting analysis regarding our Constitution But rather dry and a little repetitive after a while.

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