Publications & Resources

Criminal Justice & the Constitution

The Fall 2007 issue of Insights on Law & Society  will be published December 1, 2007. This edition’s theme, “Criminal Justice & the Constitution,” focuses on criminal justice issues, from both constitutional and policy perspectives. Feature articles include: “The Supreme Court and Criminal Justice,” which explores landmark and more recent Supreme Court decisions pertaining to the proper methods for police interrogations and searches of suspects. “Habeas Corpus: The Great Writ of Liberty,” which offers an historical overview and current perspective on habeas corpus, including its use by death row inmates to challenge their convictions and sentences. “Prosecuting Juveniles as Adults,” which describes the recent trend of prosecuting youthful offenders under the age of eighteen in adult criminal courts rather than the juvenile courts. “Women in the Criminal Justice System,” which explores the growing numbers of women in the criminal justice system and prisons, and the consequences for women, their children, and society. Other features offer teachers background, resources, and activities for the classroom.

New Guide on Teaching Gun Control and 2nd Amendment

The ABA Division for Public Education is excited to announce a new Companion Guide to the Oxford University Press series on our Inalienable Rights. The ABA is pleased to partner with Oxford University Press in encouraging public discussion on our Inalienable Rights, and as part of this partnership, the ABA publishes guides for each book in Oxford University Press’s series. This most recent guide complements Mark Tushnet’s Out of Range: Why the Constitution Can’t End the Battle Over Guns. In his book, Tushnet, the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, explores competing interpretations of the Second Amendment and discusses how the entanglement of our views on guns in our nation’s culture wars is affecting our ability to reach a neutral compromise on gun policies. Beginning in December, the Companion Guide, which is designed to foster discussion of the key arguments Tushnet makes in Out of Range, will be available as a free downloadable PDF at www.abanet.org/publiced/. Quotes from the book are matched with other materials, both historical and contemporary, to illustrate or describe arguments on both sides of the Second Amendment debate. Discussion questions invite you to debate the issues raised by Tushnet’s statements. This guide is a helpful resource for exploring and understanding the Second Amendment.

FOCUS on Law Studies: Law & Government Regulation

The Fall 2007 issue of Focus on Law Studies explores the legal and political dimensions of federal government regulation for a variety of public policy areas. Scholars from law, economics, business, and political science contribute to these discussions of the efficacy and impact of regulation. The authors address the social safety net (including the State Children’s Health Insurance Program), the No Child Left Behind Act and K–12 public schools, hate speech on public university campuses and in the larger society, pollution and the environment, and prescription drugs and the pharmaceutical industry. The articles also highlight new forms of federalism, marked by the growing ascendancy of the federal government in areas where state and local governments once made all of the key regulatory decisions. To download this and other issues of Focus on Law Studies, visit http://www.abanet.org/publiced/focus/

“Talking Justice” Online Discussion Forum

Members of the Division for Public Education staff are regular contributors to Talking Justice, which features online discussion forums hosted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania and National Public Radio. Talking Justice features commentaries from a host of individuals and organizations that care passionately about a broad range of issues about law and justice. New contributors are featured daily and represent views across the socio-political spectrum. The Division for Public Education postings appear on the 22nd of each month on the American Bar Association’s group blog page. Stop by and join the discussion.

Teaching Partisan Politics during the Presidential Campaign

Red, Blue. Right, Left. Liberal, Conservative. Democrat, Republican. While everyone has their own political preference, you must all learn to hear what the other side is saying. Why We’ll Win attempts to provide us with the resources to do just that. The two-book volume delves into current, hot-button issues with accompanying essays from leading political and cultural figures. Each volume tackles these issues from a specific political standpoint; a Republican point of view and a Democratic point of view. Topics discussed include gun control, stem cell research and Freedom of Religion. Use the books together to compare beliefs and perspectives from both sides to gain a better understanding of each political party. Why We’ll Win: The Right’s Leading Voices Argue the Cases for America’s Toughest Issues and Why We’ll Win: The Left’s Leading Voices Argue the Cases for America’s Toughest Issues, authored by Malcolm Friedberg and published Sourcebooks, Inc., both sell for $10.95. Visit http://www.whywellwin.com/ for more information.