3 Semesters and alot of free time reading… and I’m not a lawyer, a law school graduate, or even close to being an expert in constitutional law. I was a criminal justice major in college and took three semesters of various law and procedure classes (Illinois Criminal Law & Procedure, Indiana Criminal Law & Procedure, and Federal Criminal Law & Procedure) – we learned only the constitutional law as it relates to criminal law, but even that was mind bending.
I am fascinated by constitutional law. I believe strongly in the principles upon which our country was founded, and enjoy reading the history and actual decisions regarding how the constitution is interpreted.
The last few days have been interesting to watch as the “man in the street” has foamed at the mouth regarding the 9th Circuit’s ruling in this case. As Ernie writes below and in his blog, the average “man in the street” doesn’t know much at all about constitutional law..
Okay, you’ve got people who know almost nothing about Constitution and the body of law interpreting it (i.e. the media) explaining a legal ruling, and doing so in simplistic terms so that their target audience (i.e. people whose information about world events is at a 10th grade level at best) can understand it. Then, after they’ve explained it at a level just above the moron level, they go out to find out what people on the street think about constitutional law. This is pure parody. [Ernie the Attorney]