KVNUFTP

We are all extremely blessed to live during the Information Revolution. Information once available to only the powerful and the elite is now available to all of us. And of course information is power.

One area of information that is now open to everyone is Constitutional Law.  Prior to the Information Revolution, if you really wanted to study and know Constitutional Law you essentially had to attend law school.  Now, there isn’t a reason why any person willing to take the time to study Constitutional Law cannot become as constitutionally literate as a practicing attorney.

I want to share a few resources that are available that have the potential to help everyone learn more about the Constitution.

Before I share the resources, however, I want to highlight a few things.

First, Constitutional Law is complex.  That is not to say that it cannot be understood, but rather, reasonable people can disagree about how to interpret the Constitution.  Too often ideaologues and partisans insist their dogmatic approach to reading the Constitution is the way.   This is not intellectually honest and does not serve the public very well.  As we read Supreme Court opinions in the area of Constitutional Law, we will inevitably run across opinions we disagree with.  Though we disagree, we should recognize that those interpretations are reasonable and have merit.   We should also recognize that our own interpretations have limitations and flaws.

Second, in the Information Revolution it is important that we read the relevant documents ourselves.  Those relevant documents include the Constitution itself, historical documents surrounding the ratification process such as the Federalist and anti-Federalist papers, and of course the Supreme Court opinions that interpret and provide meaning to the document.

There are many partisans and idealogues who sponsor Constitutional lectures, websites and books who will be happy to do the thinking for you.  Of course, in their synthesis they put their own spin on how to interpret the Constitution in a way that serves the agenda they seek to advance.

Now, the resources.

1.  The Constitution itself

2.  Life of a Law Student Podcast

The title of this podcast does not accurately describe its purpose and function.  A few years ago, a law student decided to make podcasts covering the information he was learning at law school.  His purpose was to help other law students review the material taught, but also to make the information available to the masses.  It is a great resource.  There are a series of podcasts covering core legal topics like Torts, Contracts, etc.  He has also created a series on Constitutional Law.    These podcasts are similar to the lectures you would be given in law school (sans being Socratized).  (NOTE: There are two different series, Constitutional Law I, and Constitutional Law II which correspond with two different semesters).

3.  Google Scholar

This is a resource that launched only a couple of months ago and represents a major milestone in the Information Revolution.  Until a few months ago when Google Scholar launched, the only way to access a broad collection common law opinions was through owning a massive library of hundreds of thousands of volumes or paying exhorbitant fees to LexisNexis or Westlaw.  Both represented major barriers to access information. Though Google Scholar doesn’t have all of the resources and tools of Lexis and West, it has everything necessary to study the Constitution.  Every major Supreme Court case on Constitutional Law is available.  Google Scholar even has features to show the precedent of an individual case as well as the progeny of your case. Pretty awesome.

4. Wikipedia

Before reading a Constitutional Law case, sometimes its helpful to read the Wikipedia article on the case. Usually, there is one. This helps provide background information that isn’t always clear in the opinions.

So if you really want to learn about the Constitution, and essentially have the same experience you would have in law school, you can.  Here’s how to do it using the above resources.   Each episode of Life of a Law Student covers a couple of cases.   First, look up the Wikipedia article on your cases.  Read them.  Second, go to Google Scholar and read the actual opinions.*  Third, listen to the podcast.  Basically, this is the same as having homework reading and attending class.  Except it’s all for free and you don’t have to leave the comfort of your own home.  If you were to follow this process through all of the podcasts, you would essentially have the same experience as if you had attended a Constitutional Law class in law school.  Pretty awesome, huh?

Most importantly, you will come out understanding the Constitution better than before.  You’ll understand the various means of interpretation and different viewpoints.

And that will make you a better person and better citizen, which will make for a better country.

Enjoy!