With the addition of brand new co-editor, Robert Christensen, this trusted reader is back in a fresh and insightful fifth edition. To the general structure that has made American Intergovernmental Relations so enduring, the editors have added a new section that incorporates the importance of law and courts to intergovernmental relations. This new section explicitly grounds the study of intergovernmental relations to foundational Constitutional text and the dynamic role of the Supreme Court in interpreting constitutional powers. O'Toole and Christensen have also added new selections that cover society's current and most pressing intergovernmental policy issues, including health care, immigration, and the evolving and controversial issue of medical marijuana. As always, each essay is judiciously edited and substantial part introductions further contextualize each essay's contribution to make American Intergovernmental Relations an accessible and invaluable text, as well as an engaging read.