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51 Imperfect Solutions
- States and the Making of American Constitutional Law
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
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Publisher's summary
When we think of Constitutional law, we invariably think of the US Supreme Court and the federal court system. Yet much of our constitutional law is not made at the federal level. In 51 Imperfect Solutions, US Court of Appeals Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton argues that American Constitutional law should account for the role of the state courts and state constitutions, together with the federal courts and the federal Constitution, in protecting individual liberties.
The audiobook tells four stories that arise in four different areas of Constitutional law: equal protection; criminal procedure; privacy; and free speech and free exercise of religion. Traditional accounts of these bedrock debates about the relationship of the individual to the state focus on decisions of the US Supreme Court. But these explanations tell just part of the story. The audiobook corrects this omission by looking at each issue - and some others as well - through the lens of many constitutions, not one constitution; of many courts, not one court; and of all American judges, not federal or state judges. Taken together, the stories reveal a remarkably complex, nuanced, ever-changing federalist system.
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- From Benjamin Franklin's Snuff Box to Citizens United
- By: Zephyr Teachout
- Narrated by: Jo Anna Perrin
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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For two centuries, the Framers' ideas about political corruption flourished in the courts, even in the absence of clear rules governing voters, civil officers, and elected officials. In the 1970s, the U.S. Supreme Court began to narrow the definition of corruption, and the meaning has since changed dramatically. No case makes that clearer than Citizens United.
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Law Review+
- By Ben P. on 01-02-17
By: Zephyr Teachout
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The Bill of Rights Primer
- A Citizen's Guidebook to the American Bill of Rights
- By: Akhil Reed Amar, Les Adams
- Narrated by: Tim Lundeen
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Many Americans reference the Bill of Rights, a document that represents many of the freedoms that define the United States. Who doesn’t know about the First Amendment’s freedom of religion or Second Amendment’s right to bear arms? In this succinct volume, Akhil Reed Amar and Les Adams offer a wealth of knowledge about the Bill of Rights that goes beyond a basic understanding.The Bill of Rights Primer is an authoritative guide to all American freedoms. Uncluttered and well-organized, this audiobook is perfect for those who want to study up on the Bill of Rights without needing a law degree to do so.
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At this length, basic; but at that, great
- By Philo on 06-10-15
By: Akhil Reed Amar, and others
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The Conscience of the Constitution
- The Declaration of Independence and the Right to Liberty
- By: Timothy Sandefur
- Narrated by: James Foster
- Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Timothy Sandefur's insightful book provides a dramatic new challenge to the status quo of constitutional law and argues a vital truth: our Constitution was written not to empower democracy, but to secure liberty. Yet the overemphasis on democracy by today's legal community - rather than the primacy of liberty, as expressed in the Declaration of Independence - has helped expand the scope of government power at the expense of individual rights.
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Liberty!
- By David W. Norman on 05-03-15
By: Timothy Sandefur
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U.S. Constitution for Dummies
- 2nd Edition
- By: Dr. Michael Arnheim
- Narrated by: Dr. Michael Arnheim
- Length: 18 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Want to make sense of the US Constitution? This new edition walks you through this revered document, explaining how the articles and amendments came to be and how they have guided legislators, judges, and presidents - and sparked ongoing debates along the way. You'll get the lowdown on all the big issues - from separation of church and state to impeachment to civil rights - that continue to affect Americans' daily lives. Plus, you'll find out about the different approaches to interpretation and how the document has changed over the past 200+ years.
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Much better than I anticipated.
- By JoEllen LeVitre on 08-30-20
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The Constitution
- An Introduction
- By: Michael Stokes Paulsen, Luke Paulsen
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 14 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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From war powers to health care, freedom of speech to gun ownership, religious liberty to abortion, practically every aspect of American life is shaped by the Constitution. This vital document, along with its history of political and judicial interpretation, governs our individual lives and the life of our nation. Yet most of us know surprisingly little about the Constitution itself, and are woefully unprepared to think for ourselves about recent developments in its long and storied history.
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The Constitution-A must reading for All Americans
- By Robert on 06-12-15
By: Michael Stokes Paulsen, and others
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The Nonsense Factory
- The Making and Breaking of the American Legal System
- By: Bruce Cannon Gibney
- Narrated by: Matt Kugler
- Length: 17 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Our trial courts conduct hardly any trials, our correctional systems do not correct, and the rise of mandated arbitration has ushered in a shadowy system of privatized "justice". Meanwhile, our legislators can't even follow their own rules for making rules while the rule of law mutates into a perpetual state of emergency. The legal system is becoming an incomprehensible farce. How did this happen? In The Nonsense Factory, Bruce Cannon Gibney shows that over the past 70 years, the legal system has dangerously confused quantity with quality and might with legitimacy.
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Ruined by obvious bias
- By M. E. Blackman on 10-07-19
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My Own Words
- By: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Mary Hartnett, Wendy W. Williams
- Narrated by: Linda Lavin
- Length: 13 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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The first book from Ruth Bader Ginsburg since becoming a Supreme Court Justice in 1993 - a witty, engaging, serious, and playful collection of writings and speeches from the woman who has had a powerful and enduring influence on law, women's rights, and popular culture. My Own Words is a selection of writings and speeches by Justice Ginsburg on wide-ranging topics, including gender equality, the workways of the Supreme Court, being Jewish, law and lawyers in opera, and more.
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Spectacularly Dry
- By CMP on 07-27-18
By: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and others
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The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution
- By: Kevin R.C. Gutzman
- Narrated by: Tom Weiner
- Length: 6 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Instead of the system that the Constitution intended, judges have created a system in which bureaucrats and appointed officials make most of the important policies. While the government claims to be a representative republic, somehow hot-button topics from gay marriage to the allocation of Florida's presidential electors always seem to be decided by unelected judges. What gives them the right to decide such issues? The judges say it's the Constitution.
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The best PIG to date
- By Matthew Groom on 05-16-08
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A People's History of the Supreme Court
- The Men and Women Whose Cases and Decisions Have Shaped Our Constitution
- By: Peter Irons, Howard Zinn - foreword
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 28 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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A comprehensive history of the people and cases that have changed history, this is the definitive account of the nation's highest court.
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Really enjoyed this book
- By Paul on 02-19-20
By: Peter Irons, and others
What listeners say about 51 Imperfect Solutions
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Patrick
- 11-14-23
Excellent Look Into a Complicated Issue
I’m not a lawyer nor a legal scholar, but the author lays out complicated legal issues in a way that anyone can follow and understand.
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- Philo
- 06-25-19
Other wellsprings of rights
Sometimes, 51 imperfect (legal) solutions (federal + states) can point to better, wiser outcomes than stopping at one (federal, one-size-fits-all) solution. This is a time when such questions are being reopened, after a 20th century with an ever-growing centralized federal government.
This is a pretty advanced book on rights, legal history and courts' powers. It is written by a judge and seemingly has lawyers as an audience. Given that, it is very interesting and might be very influential.
These are interesting times in our legal system (with all the excitement and foreboding that might engender). Conservative judges are digging back into the texts and reexamining powers of government that have been taken for granted since -- let's say most sharply, about 1936. That is not to say the legal overgrowth (if one so thinks) is merely being chopped away. Let's say the structural parts are being looked at hard by very powerful judges. It is surprising who this may benefit -- it is not merely the script that the powerful help the powerful. This book is another interesting facet of these issues and these times. The author is very thoughtful and by no means a knee-jerk ideologue politically. His judicial temperament runs deep.
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2 people found this helpful
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- surya
- 08-19-19
A decent opinion from an established jurist
To be honest, I ought to confess that I purchased this book due to false advertising in the byline. I thought it would be about how constitutional law starts with states and how the 14th federalizes other due process laws. But, this book takes a different broad line showing reasons why people ought to give more weight to their respective state rights. The author takes through 4 different topics where regional decisions would have made less damage.
My takeaways from the book are the facts of the four cases discussed than anything else and the I do concede that there are some merits in the bottom up approach for Constitutional Law. Like Gideon v Wainwright where right to attorney was federalized once enough states picked it up on their own, I concede that states ought to act as the first experimenters and the successful implementations can then be weighed and federalized. But, there are times when we are one country and there are times when we are 50 states. Sometimes a regional solution doesn't provide equality. For example, take Obergfell v Hodges where the facts of the case show that two married couple suddenly find themselves out of matrimony by the whim of states. Even the cases that discussed, it is not universally accepted that Supreme Court did more damage than necessary. Mapp set standard nationwide for Bill of Rights instead of leaving to whims of individual states that can discriminate against minorities. And, the author fails to establish the justification for more weight to state claims. Yes, different states had different approaches to eugenics. This doesn't invalidate the US Supreme Court and having one central repository for the rights is preferable than individuals having to review states' constitutions every time they want to move to a new state. Finally, yes Supreme Court is tied down from interpreting laws broadly while states can experiment. So, I do agree people might have greater chance to win in state courts.
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