A Treatise on the Constitutional Limitations Which Rest upon the Legislative Power of the States of the American Union

Originally produced in 1868, and in a multitude of editions since that time, this foundational legal treatise was written for practitioners and law students, and presents constitutional principles in a methodical, comprehensible manner that is consistently supported by court decisions, legal treatises, and history. Cooley emphasises certain legal authority over individual opinion. The treatise serves as a general and comprehensive text that can be referenced on the constitutional limitations upon state legislative power in the United States.

Key Features:

• Each edition collects contemporary legal developments and relevant case law.
• Examines systematically the constitutional limits on state legislatures.
• Topics covered include:
  • Definitions and fundamental constitutional principles
  • U.S. Constitution and federal and state constitutions and the process of making and interpretation
  • Legislative powers, the enactment of laws, and defining unconstitutional laws
  • Municipal government, personal liberty, property, freedom of speech, and religious freedom
  • Taxation, eminent domain, police power, and popular will
• Famous for clarity and legal precedent, not for theorizing
• Considered a canonical and evergreen contribution to American constitutional law