This Concise Edition of the casebook is a compact, easy-to-wield book that focuses on the text of Supreme Court opinions and other primary documents. It is considerably shorter than previous Concise Editions because the authors have omitted First Amendment topics on the grounds that teachers and students of those ever-expanding materials (most often taught in separate courses) would be better served by the more comprehensive coverage in the unabridged edition.

Like the unabridged edition, however, it continues to provide as much of the raw decisional, statutory and historical note material as is practical to allow teachers the latitude to structure courses in their own ways and to encourage students to formulate their own generalizations directly from the materials. It concentrates on the role of the federal judiciary, separation of powers, federalism, and the Reconstruction Amendments, including all aspects of due process, equal protection, and congressional powers to enforce them.

New, hardbound print book includes lifetime digital access to an eBook, with the ability to highlight and take notes, and 12-month access to a digital Learning Library that includes self-assessment quizzes tied to this book, leading study aids, an outline starter, and Gilbert Law Dictionary.