Top Law Schools

My con law professor is awful, and so is the casebook. Everyone in my class already has the Chemerinsky supplement, so that's not going to give me any kind of edge. Does anyone have any ideas for a quality con law supplement other than Chemerinsky? I heard the E&E was worthless and commercial outlines don't help me, I'm really looking for another hornbook. Suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks for your help!

EDIT for clarification: in light of the responses I've been getting, I'd like to explain what I'm looking for. I am well aware that it is applying the law that matters on tests, but you can't apply the law if you don't know the law.

Right now the only Con Law I am learning is from Chemerinsky because my professor and my casebook are not very good. I would really like to find another hornbook, so that I can learn Con Law really well. So if anyone has any other hornbooks they would like to suggest, I would really appreciate it. Thanks

Everything you'll need will be in Chemerinsky and your casebook; your edge will come from applying it better on the exam.

There is no book about "How to Write a Better Exam Than My Peers in My Particular Conlaw Class" supplement. Just learn it better.

mumbling2myself wrote:Everything you'll need will be in Chemerinsky and your casebook; your edge will come from applying it better on the exam.

There is no book about "How to Write a Better Exam Than My Peers in My Particular Conlaw Class" supplement. Just learn it better.

No need to be condescending. I'm just looking for another Con Law hornbook that's decent. I learn better from hornbooks, and it's nice to have multiple sources, rather than just one in case I'm confused on a certain topic.

mumbling2myself wrote:Everything you'll need will be in Chemerinsky and your casebook; your edge will come from applying it better on the exam.

There is no book about "How to Write a Better Exam Than My Peers in My Particular Conlaw Class" supplement. Just learn it better.

TITCR

Have you tried Nowak & Rotunda? I agree with the above that Chemerinsky is the best and that the edge won't come from reading different material than your peers but applying it. Good luck.

wtf, ok 0L

do you use the nowak for your wittle undergwad con law cwass?

simplyelle wrote: Right now the only Con Law I am learning is from Chemerinsky because my professor and my casebook are not very good. I would really like to find another hornbook, so that I can learn Con Law really well.

uh, seriously? if you're not getting it out of chemerinsky and your casebook, then i don't think multiple sources will help.

I'm confused- is Conlaw hard?

.

Get the goddamn Cherminksky like everyone else you goddamn lemming.

Honestly, an additional Hornbook will NOT give you the edge.

The "edge" doesn't come from an extra book or a special book. Seriously. Only the "right" book will give that to you, and other than Chemerinsky, there IS NOT one. You are going to have to adapt to this situation (and accept it) and figure out another way to get an edge.

ToTransferOrNot wrote:I'm confused- is Conlaw hard?

I personally think it is the easiest. It has the hardest and most confusing reading, but underneath that there seems to be very few cases and very little BBL compared to the other courses. Moreover, the BBL is simple (as opposed to civil procedure *sigh*)Thus, the exam really will be about analysis and applying a lot more than other classes, because everyone will have this supplement and everyone will know the BBL.

I've heard good things about the Constitutional Analysis nutshell by Baker & Williams from people who think that buying a supplement that's as long as the casebook is bullshit. I've not seen it, though (nor have I seen the Chemerinsky book, or any other supplement for that matter), so this is pure hearsay.

-Pufer

No need to be condescending. I'm just looking for another Con Law hornbook that's decent. I learn better from hornbooks, and it's nice to have multiple sources, rather than just one in case I'm confused on a certain topic.

He's not being condescending; he's right. You're not going to learn it any more by buying every other supplement on the market. Read the assignments, think about the assignments, go to class, read Chemerinsky. If you have time for much more than that, you're probably not spending enough time on other classes.

I was in the same situation a month ago, and looked through other books in the library.... I have to say the other posters are right. nothing is as clear as chemerinsky nor argues the arguments as well. that said, i did find the E&Es moderately helpful for my own practice of the material.

Also, read getting to maybe. they have a lot of tidbits on the plain meaning/political process args and how to apply all those different things to a con law exam

To get a (very) brief overview I certainly don't think reading through Crunchtime hurt. It isn't something I would really rely on to actually learn Con Law, but it helped me see when I wasn't understanding something correctly so I could go back to Chemerinsky. As far as actually learning the material Chemerinsky is the standard because it's the best, you're not going to find anything in other books that wasn't in Chemerinsky or get any edge from a different approach I don't think.

Props for Nowak! He's my con law professor

But if his hornbook is written anything like how he lectures, then it probably flits around and goes off on tangents about haw Marshall was a badass.

Stick with Chemerinsky.

People may have the Chemerinsky, but that doesn't mean they use it.

PKSebben wrote:Get the goddamn Cherminksky like everyone else you goddamn lemming.

And to think, I was once threatened by this mod with banning for 'being an ass'.

steve_nash wrote:

mumbling2myself wrote:Everything you'll need will be in Chemerinsky and your casebook; your edge will come from applying it better on the exam.

There is no book about "How to Write a Better Exam Than My Peers in My Particular Conlaw Class" supplement. Just learn it better.

TITCR

Arrow wrote:Honestly, an additional Hornbook will NOT give you the edge.

The "edge" doesn't come from an extra book or a special book. Seriously. Only the "right" book will give that to you, and other than Chemerinsky, there IS NOT one. You are going to have to adapt to this situation (and accept it) and figure out another way to get an edge.

PKSebben wrote:Get the goddamn Cherminksky like everyone else you goddamn lemming.

Seriously, you just had the gods damned TLS all star dream team swoop in to simultaneously impart the best conceivable advice. The average GPA of the posters giving you advice in this thread is probably like a 5.2.

Ignore their words at your peril.

Merrill wrote:People may have the Chemerinsky, but that doesn't mean they use it.

Yea. Plenty of people in my class bought the book. At this point very few read it. Although I do concede that some may be saving it for nearer to the end of the semester, which is fine.

My one gripe (and the gripe is not directed at Chemerinsky as this is not what his text is intended for, but simply at the method of using it and it alone to prepare) with relying solely on Chemerinsky is that it doesn't test application (like an EE, for example). Thankfully my professor has tons of practice tests + model answers available, so this shouldn't be a problem.

Did someone seriously resurrect my thread from LAST YEAR?? Well, update...I actually did fairly well in Con Law (using only Chemerinsky! haha). But seriously, you people act like someone asking for another hornbook for Con Law is criminal or something! geez...everyone else in my class was asking the same question all semester, I had no idea it was such an unreasonable question

Both of my con law prof's recommended Nowak and Rotunda hornbook.

A little off-topic, but anyone out there done well in Con Law w/o using a hornbook? I didn't use them at all last semester and wasn't planning to this semester, but it seems like there's a universal consensus that one is necessary for Con Law. I just looked over the Chemerinsky part on Marbury/Martin/Cooper and it didn't seem like it added anything useful to the reading & class notes I already had.

Aeroplane, are you MN?

OP