Digital library
Textbooks, references and open learning resources.
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Constitutional Law with a Twist: Less Is More
Alisa Klein · CALI's eLangdell® Press · 2025
Constitutional Law with a Twist: Less is More is designed for a one-semester survey course on federal constitutional law. The casebook covers the content of a typical four-credit survey course: the structure of the U.S. government and individual rights (other than First Amendment rights and rights unique to criminal law). What differentiates this casebook from most other constitutional law casebooks is that this book is deliberately short. It reflects the author’s philosophy that students often experience more joy, more depth, and more growth in an introductory course on constitutional law when there is less reading, more emphasis on contemporary cases, and more feedback on interim work. The book’s preface and the introduction to the accompanying teacher’s manual describe the book’s approach in detail to help faculty decide whether this casebook is a good fit for them and their students.
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Liberty, Equality and Due Process: Cases, Controversies, and Contexts in Constitutional Law
Ruthann Robson · CALI's eLangdell® Press · 2021
This Casebook is intended to be used in a course which concentrates on Constitutional Rights and centers the Fourteenth Amendment. It can be used in a first year Law School course with a title such as “Liberty, Equality, and Due Process,” as it is at CUNY School of Law, an upper division Constitutional Rights course, or an advanced undergraduate course focusing on constitutional rights, especially equality and due process. The Casebook begins with the threshold issue of “state action” which orients students to a basic but often under-taught principle of constitutional law. The Casebook then considers judicial review and constitutional interpretation. Chapters 3-6 center on equality, including slavery before the Reconstruction Amendments, equal protection for racial, gender, and other classifications, affirmative action, and fundamental rights in equal protection doctrine. Chapters 7-9 are shorter chapters that consider the Privileges or Immunities Clause, Incorporation of Bill of Rights provisions to the states, and the Second Amendment. Chapter 10 focuses on substantive due process, with Chapter 11 treating the “synergy” between due process and equal protection regarding fundamental rights. The brief last Chapter, Chapter 12, includes materials on state constitutional rights, which can be omitted or integrated into previous subjects.
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Government Powers and Limitations
Kimberly Clairmont; Ethan Derstine; Alexandria Metzdorf; Stella Kemp · Oregon State University · 2024
This volume focuses on constitutional doctrine and law in the areas of government powers and limitations. It includes excerpts of landmark cases related to the judiciary and executive, contracts and takings clauses, and due process. The excerpts include the constitutional issues in these cases that are related to government powers and limitations with other questions of law and dicta omitted.
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The Office of the Presidency: Powers and Responsibilities
Jakob Miller · Jakob Miller · 2025
Popular imagination gives the President of the United States vast, sweeping power. The Constitution tells a different story. This book is about the gap between the two. The Office of the Presidency: Powers and Responsibilities is a free, introductory political science textbook for undergraduate students. It examines the American presidency through the lens of the leadership dilemma — the persistent gap between what the public expects presidents to accomplish and what the office actually empowers them to do. Each chapter explores a key dimension of presidential power: the constitutional origins of the office, nominations and campaigns, the tools and limits of executive authority, the relationship with Congress and the courts, war and foreign policy, and the presidency's management of public opinion and the media. Throughout, the focus is not on the presidents who have held the office, but on the office itself — its surprising constraints, its creative expansions, and the enduring tension between expectation and reality that has shaped every presidency from Washington to the present.
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Rights of the Accused
Rorie Solberg; Andrew Hoekman; Katherine McKenna; Charlotte Pietrzak · Oregon State University · 2025
This volume focuses on the constitutional doctrine and law in the areas of criminal rights. It contains excerpts of landmark cases covering the fourth, fifth, sixth, and eighth amendments, exceptions to the Warrants Rule, and investigatory methods. The excerpts include the constitutional issues in these cases that are related to rights of the accused with other questions of law and dicta omitted.
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Rules and Laws for Civil Actions
Stella Elias; Derek Muller; Jason Rantanen · University of Iowa · 2022
Rules and Laws for Civil Actions is an open-access resource for law students containing the U.S. Constitution, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Federal Rules of Evidence, Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, and selected federal and state statutes. The book was created by a team of faculty members at the University of Iowa College of Law to supplement the study of Civil Procedure, Evidence, Constitutional Law, and other law school courses. In addition to containing the official text, each legal source found in Rules and Laws for Civil Actions is accompanied by an introductory section written by an Iowa Law professor explaining its significance and background.
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Civil Rights and Liberties
Rorie Solberg; Kimberly Clairmont; Petar Jeknic; Sarah Mason · Open Oregon Educational Resources · 2023
This volume focuses on the constitutional doctrine and law in the areas of civil rights and liberties. It contains excerpts of landmark cases covering the first amendment, second amendment, fourteenth amendment and the right to privacy. The excerpts include the constitutional issues in these cases that are related to civil rights and liberties with other questions of law and dicta omitted.
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Religion in the Law: An Open Access Casebook
Joe Dunman · L. Joe Dunman · 2026
This casebook features over 70 cases from American courts that involve, in some important way, religious belief and action. The book is divided into sections: First Principles, Establishment, Free Exercise, and Special Problems. Each section includes landmark or otherwise influential cases that have influenced American law and religious practice. Most cases come from the U.S. Supreme Court but the lower federal and state courts are also represented.In the contextual introductions to each section and subpart, I have tried to give the reader a basis for understanding how the cases came about and why I chose them for this book. I have tried to minimize editorial comment. I have cited some scholarship where I think it would be helpful, but please do not mistake this as an attempt to produce a comprehensive treatise on the subject of religion in the law. It is a casebook, and a short one, all things considered. At the end of each introductory part is a short “further reading” list. I chose those articles because I found each of them interesting and useful to understanding the topics that precede them. Their selection is not necessarily an endorsement of each author’s arguments, though I do agree with some of them.I designed this casebook specifically for my own use upper level law school seminar called Law & Religion. Class sessions using this book are intended to be student-led, round table talks with the professor acting as discussion prompter and neutral mediator. Generally, 2-5 cases are assigned for each class session. I selected, edited, and arranged the cases to complement each other thematically and chronologically to the best of my ability. Many of the cases include overlapping topics and could fit into multiple categories, so I took some liberties in their arrangement. Your mileage may vary.
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Fundamentals of Business Law
Melissa Randall; Community College of Denver Students · Melissa Randall · 2020
Undergraduate business law textbook written by Melissa Randall and Community College of Denver Students in collaboration with lawyers and business professionals for use in required 200 level business law courses in the United States. This book is an introductory survey of the legal topics required in undergraduate business law classes.
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Business Law I Essentials
Mirande Valbrune; Renee De Assis; Suzanne Cardell · OpenStax · 2026
Business Law I Essentials 2e is a brief introductory textbook designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of courses on Business Law or the Legal Environment of Business. The concepts are presented in a streamlined manner, and cover the key concepts necessary to establish a strong foundation in the subject. The textbook follows a traditional approach to the study of business law. Each chapter contains learning objectives, explanatory narrative and concepts, references for further reading, and end-of-chapter questions. Business Law I Essentials 2e may need to be supplemented with additional content, cases, or related materials, and is offered as a foundational resource that focuses on the baseline concepts, issues, and approaches.
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Law 101: Fundamentals of the Law
Michael Martella · Open SUNY · 2018
Law 101: Fundamentals of Law, New York and Federal Law is an attempt to provide basic legal concepts of the law to undergraduates in easily understood plain English. Each chapter covers a different area of the law. Areas of law were selected based on what legal matters undergraduates may typically encounter in their daily lives. The textbook is introductory by nature and not meant as a legal treatise.Facebook
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First Amendment: Cases, Controversies, and Contexts
Ruthann Robson · CALI's eLangdell® Press · 2016
This Casebook (Second Edition, December 2019) is intended to be used in an upper-division course covering the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Its 14 chapters are substantially the same length, with the exception of Chapter One, the introduction, and Chapters Eleven and Twelve which in combination are the usual length. It is intended for 13 or 14 week semester that meets once or twice per week. Each Chapter contains a “Chapter Outline” at the beginning for ease of reference. The Casebook is organized with the Speech Clauses as Part One and the Religion Clauses as Part Two. Unlike many other courses, there is no accepted organizational scheme within these broad areas. As the Introduction notes, First Amendment doctrine, especially within freedom of speech, presents a varied and haphazard landscape. The Casebook follows a scheme that has proven effective in Professor Robson’s years of teaching the course to hundreds of students. The selection of cases tends toward the most recent and these tend to be less heavily edited. These recent cases often contain extended discussions of earlier cases that are not included in the Casebook.
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Business Law, Ethics, and Sustainability
Andrew Hosmanek; Brendan Smith; Michael Dayton · OpenHawks OER · 2023
Business Law, Ethics, and Sustainability is a textbook for undergraduate law courses. It covers business law topics such as contracts, business organizations, employment law, and torts, as well as a general survey of American law. Additional topics include Constitutional law, civil rights, environmental law, criminal law, and litigation.
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Government Regulation and the Legal Environment of Business
Don Mayer; Daniel Warner; George Siedel; Jethro Lieberman · Saylor Foundation · 2012
Mayer, Warner, Siedel and Lieberman's Government Regulation and the Legal Environment of Business is an up-to-date textbook that covers legal issues that students must understand in today's highly regulated business environment. The text is organized to permit instructors to tailor the materials to their particular approach. The authors take special care to engage students by relating law to everyday events with their clear, concise and readable style. After introductory chapters covering the legal environment of business, Government Regulation and the Legal Environment of Business provides students with context and essential legal concepts relating to contracts, consumer credit transactions, bankruptcy, intellectual property, securities regulation, regulation of real estate, antitrust, unfair trade practices, employment law and labor relations. The text provides the vocabulary and legal savvy they will need to talk in an educated way to customers, suppliers, employees, creditors, shareholders, government regulators and other stakeholders — and to their own lawyers.
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Legal Aspects of Marketing and Sales
Don Mayer; Daniel Warner; George Siedel; Jethro Lieberman · Saylor Foundation · 2012
Legal Aspects of Marketing and Sales is an up-to-date textbook that covers legal issues that students who will work in marketing or with marketing managers must understand. The text is organized to permit instructors to tailor the materials to their particular approach. The authors take special care to engage students by relating law to everyday events with their clear, concise and readable style. After introductory chapters covering the legal environment of business, Legal Aspects of Marketing and Sales provides students with context and essential legal concepts relating to contracts, sales, intellectual property, antitrust law and unfair trade practices. The text provides the vocabulary and legal savvy they will need to talk in an educated way to customers, suppliers, shareholders, government regulators and other stakeholders — and to their own lawyers.
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Legal Aspects of Corporate Management and Finance
Don Mayer; Daniel Warner; George Siedel; Jethro Lieberman · Saylor Foundation · 2012
Legal Aspects of Corporate Management and Finance is an up-to-date textbook that covers key legal issues relating to corporate management and finance. The text is organized to permit instructors to tailor the materials to their particular approach. The authors take special care to engage students by relating law to everyday events with their clear, concise and readable style. After introductory chapters covering the legal environment of business, Legal Aspects of Corporate Management and Finance provides students with context and essential legal concepts relating to contracts, agency law, partnerships, corporations, commercial paper, debtors and creditors. The text provides the vocabulary and legal savvy students will need to talk in an educated way to customers, suppliers, employees, creditors, shareholders, government regulators and other stakeholders — and to their own lawyers.
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Law of Commercial Transactions
Don Mayer; Daniel Warner; George Siedel; Jethro Lieberman · Saylor Foundation · 2012
Law of Commercial Transactions is an up-to-date textbook that covers legal issues that students who engage in commercial transactions must understand. The text is organized to permit instructors to tailor the materials to their particular approach. The authors take special care to engage students by relating law to everyday events with their clear, concise and readable style. After introductory chapters covering the legal environment of business, Law of Commercial Transactions provides students with context and essential legal concepts relating to key commercial transactions topics: contracts, sales, commercial paper, debtors and creditors. The text provides the vocabulary and legal savvy students will need to talk in an educated way to customers, suppliers, creditors, government regulators and other stakeholders — and to their own lawyers.
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Law for Entrepreneurs
Don Mayer; Daniel Warner; George Siedel; Jethro Lieberman · Saylor Foundation · 2012
Law for Entrepreneurs is an up-to-date textbook that covers the broad spectrum of legal issues that entrepreneurs must understand when starting and running a business. The text is organized to permit instructors to tailor the materials to their particular approach. The authors take special care to engage students by relating law to everyday events with their clear, concise and readable style. After introductory chapters covering the legal environment of business, Law for Entrepreneurs provides students with context and essential legal concepts relating to contracts, product liability, intellectual property, insurance, agency law, partnerships, corporations, and employment law. The text provides the vocabulary and legal savvy that entrepreneurs need to talk in an educated way to customers, suppliers, employees, creditors, shareholders, government regulators and other stakeholders — and to their own lawyers.
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Introduction to the Law of Property, Estate Planning and Insurance
Don Mayer; Daniel Warner; George Siedel; Jethro Lieberman · Saylor Foundation · 2012
Introduction to the Law of Property, Estate Planning and Insurance is an up-to-date textbook that covers legal issues that students must understand relating to real estate (an especially important business asset), as well as estate planning and insurance. The text is organized to permit instructors to tailor the materials to their particular approach. The authors take special care to engage students by relating law to everyday events with their clear, concise and readable style. After introductory chapters covering the legal environment of business, Introduction to the Law of Property, Estate Planning and Insurance provides students with context and essential legal concepts relating to property rights and duties, estate planning, insurance, secured transactions, mortgages, and related topics. The text provides the vocabulary and legal savvy they will need when working with these concepts, which are critical to business planning and success.
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Introduction to Contracts, Sales and Product Liability
Don Mayer; Daniel Warner; George Siedel; Jethro Lieberman · Saylor Foundation · 2012
This textbook provides context and essential concepts across the entire range of legal issues with whichmanagers and business executives must grapple. The text provides the vocabulary and legal acumennecessary for businesspeople to talk in an educated way to their customers, employees, suppliers,government officials—and to their own lawyers. Traditional publishers often create confusion among customers in the text selection process by offering ahuge array of publications. Once a text is selected, customers might still have to customize the text to meettheir needs. For example, publishers usually offer books that include either case summaries or excerptedcases, but some instructors prefer to combine case summaries with a few excerpted cases so that studentscan experience reading original material. Likewise, the manner in which most conventional textsincorporate video is cumbersome because the videos are contained in a separate library, which makesaccess more complicating for instructors and students.