The decisions of the highest courts, especially of the Supreme Court of the United States, furnish very valuable material for the study of the history of the Constitution and the theory of government, and they furnish the only authoritative interpretation of the provisions of our written constitutions, so far as the application of those provisions is to be made in judicial tribunals.

For the information of those who are not familiar with the use of the volumes of reported decisions of the various courts it should be stated that references are to particular cases by name, followed by the volume and page of the report (the number of the volume precedes and the number of the page follows the name of the series of reports) wherein the case is found. Where cases from state courts are referred to the state is indicated. The reports of the Supreme Court of the United States were for years issued and referred to under the names of the successive reporters, as follows: Dallas (4 vols.); Cranch (9 vols.); Wheaton (12 vols.); Peters (16 vols.); Howard (24 vols.); Black (2 vols.); Wallace (23 vols.). References to the volumes subsequent to those of Wallace are now almost universally made as though there were a continuously numbered series of volumes from the beginning, the next volume after 23 Wallace being cited as 91 U. S. The cases in the volumes of Dallas, Cranch, Wheaton and Peters, and the first eighteen volumes of Howard, are also published, somewhat abridged, in a series cited as " Curtis' Decisions.'1 The decisions of the court are now published as soon as they are announced, in The Supreme Court Reporter, a periodical. Cases specially referred to in the text are indicated by name only, but the full citation for each is given in the references for the chapter. Cases thus referred to in the text are also included in the Index.

Several collections of cases have been made which are convenient for the use of those who have not access to the volumes of the reports, as follows:

McClain, Emlin. A Selection of Cases on Constitutional Law. (1900, 2d ed., 1909. References are applicable to either edition, unless the second is specially mentioned.) - A few of the leading cases on each branch of constitutional law are given, the cases selected for the most part being those which are suitable for the use of students.

Thayer, James Bradley. Cases on Constitutional Law, with notes. (2 vols., 1895.) - Professor Thayer has developed some branches of constitutional law very fully through cases from the state and federal courts, but has not attempted to cover all the topics which may be considered as within its proper scope.

Boyd, Carl Evans. Cases on American Constitutional Law. (1898, 2d ed., 1907.) - This collection is a very convenient one as a basis for a short course of instruction, but many of the cases are so abridged as to render it unsuitable as a book for collateral reading.

Dillon, John M. Marshall: Complete Constitutional Decisions, Annotated. (1903.) - In many of the most important cases on constitutional law decided during the early period of our constitutional history, the opinions were written by Chief-Justice Marshall, and this collection is therefore a convenient one for collateral reading on important questions.