Keeping Faith with the Constitution

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Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199752834
Total Pages : 274 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (997 download)

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Book Synopsis Keeping Faith with the Constitution by : Goodwin Liu

Download or read book Keeping Faith with the Constitution written by Goodwin Liu and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2010-08-05 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chief Justice John Marshall argued that a constitution "requires that only its great outlines should be marked [and] its important objects designated." Ours is "intended to endure for ages to come, and consequently, to be adapted to the various crises of human affairs." In recent years, Marshall's great truths have been challenged by proponents of originalism and strict construction. Such legal thinkers as Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia argue that the Constitution must be construed and applied as it was when the Framers wrote it. In Keeping Faith with the Constitution, three legal authorities make the case for Marshall's vision. They describe their approach as "constitutional fidelity"--not to how the Framers would have applied the Constitution, but to the text and principles of the Constitution itself. The original understanding of the text is one source of interpretation, but not the only one; to preserve the meaning and authority of the document, to keep it vital, applications of the Constitution must be shaped by precedent, historical experience, practical consequence, and societal change. The authors range across the history of constitutional interpretation to show how this approach has been the source of our greatest advances, from Brown v. Board of Education to the New Deal, from the Miranda decision to the expansion of women's rights. They delve into the complexities of voting rights, the malapportionment of legislative districts, speech freedoms, civil liberties and the War on Terror, and the evolution of checks and balances. The Constitution's framers could never have imagined DNA, global warming, or even women's equality. Yet these and many more realities shape our lives and outlook. Our Constitution will remain vital into our changing future, the authors write, if judges remain true to this rich tradition of adaptation and fidelity.

Interpreting Constitutions

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Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199274134
Total Pages : 372 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (992 download)

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Book Synopsis Interpreting Constitutions by : Jeffrey Denys Goldsworthy

Download or read book Interpreting Constitutions written by Jeffrey Denys Goldsworthy and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2006-02-09 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book describes the constitutions of six major federations and how they have been interpreted by their highest courts, compares the interpretive methods and underlying principles that have guided the courts, and explores the reasons for major differences between these methods and principles. Among the interpretive methods discussed are textualism, purposivism, structuralism and originalism. Each of the six federations is the subject of a separate chapter written by a leading authority in the field: Jeffrey Goldsworthy (Australia), Peter Hogg (Canada), Donald Kommers (Germany), S.P. Sathe (India), Heinz Klug (South Africa), and Mark Tushnet (United States). Each chapter describes not only the interpretive methodology currently used by the courts, but the evolution of that methodology since the constitution was first enacted. The book also includes a concluding chapter which compares these methodologies, and attempts to explain variations by reference to different social, historical, institutional and political circumstances.

America's Unwritten Constitution

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Author :
Publisher : Basic Books (AZ)
ISBN 13 : 0465029574
Total Pages : 644 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (65 download)

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Book Synopsis America's Unwritten Constitution by : Akhil Reed Amar

Download or read book America's Unwritten Constitution written by Akhil Reed Amar and published by Basic Books (AZ). This book was released on 2012-09-11 with total page 644 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reading between the lines: America's implicit Constitution -- Heeding the deed: America's enacted Constitution -- Hearing the people: America's lived Constitution -- Confronting modern case law: America's "warrented" Constitution -- Putting precedent in its place: America's doctrinal Constitution -- Honoring the icons: America's symbolic Constitution -- "Remembering the ladies" : America's feminist Constitution -- Following Washington's lead: America's "Georgian" Constitution -- Interpreting government practices: America's institutional Constitution -- Joining the party: America's partisan Constitution -- Doing the right thing: America's conscientious Constitution -- Envisioning the future: America's unfinished Constitution -- Afterward -- Appendix: America's written Constitution.

A Treatise on the Constitutional Limitations which Rest Upon the Legislative Power of the States of the American Union

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 1172 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (2 download)

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Book Synopsis A Treatise on the Constitutional Limitations which Rest Upon the Legislative Power of the States of the American Union by : Thomas McIntyre Cooley

Download or read book A Treatise on the Constitutional Limitations which Rest Upon the Legislative Power of the States of the American Union written by Thomas McIntyre Cooley and published by . This book was released on 1903 with total page 1172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Judging Statutes

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Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199362149
Total Pages : 184 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (993 download)

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Book Synopsis Judging Statutes by : Robert A. Katzmann

Download or read book Judging Statutes written by Robert A. Katzmann and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2014-08-14 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In an ideal world, the laws of Congress--known as federal statutes--would always be clearly worded and easily understood by the judges tasked with interpreting them. But many laws feature ambiguous or even contradictory wording. How, then, should judges divine their meaning? Should they stick only to the text? To what degree, if any, should they consult aids beyond the statutes themselves? Are the purposes of lawmakers in writing law relevant? Some judges, such as Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, believe courts should look to the language of the statute and virtually nothing else. Chief Judge Robert A. Katzmann of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit respectfully disagrees. In Judging Statutes, Katzmann, who is a trained political scientist as well as a judge, argues that our constitutional system charges Congress with enacting laws; therefore, how Congress makes its purposes known through both the laws themselves and reliable accompanying materials should be respected. He looks at how the American government works, including how laws come to be and how various agencies construe legislation. He then explains the judicial process of interpreting and applying these laws through the demonstration of two interpretative approaches, purposivism (focusing on the purpose of a law) and textualism (focusing solely on the text of the written law). Katzmann draws from his experience to show how this process plays out in the real world, and concludes with some suggestions to promote understanding between the courts and Congress. When courts interpret the laws of Congress, they should be mindful of how Congress actually functions, how lawmakers signal the meaning of statutes, and what those legislators expect of courts construing their laws. The legislative record behind a law is in truth part of its foundation, and therefore merits consideration.

Freedom's Law

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Publisher : OUP Oxford
ISBN 13 : 0198265573
Total Pages : 438 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (982 download)

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Book Synopsis Freedom's Law by : Ronald Dworkin

Download or read book Freedom's Law written by Ronald Dworkin and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 1999 with total page 438 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dworkin's important book is a collection of essays which discuss almost all of the great constitutional issues of the last two decades, including abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, homosexuality, pornography, and free speech. Dworkin offers a consistently liberal view of the Constitution and argues that fidelity to it and to law demands that judges make moral judgments. He proposes that we all interpret the abstract language of the Constitution by reference to moral principles about political decency and justice. His 'moral reading' therefore brings political morality into the heart of constitutional law. The various chapters of this book were first published separately; now drawn together they provide the reader with a rich, full-length treatment of Dworkin's general theory of law.

Making Our Democracy Work

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Publisher : Vintage
ISBN 13 : 0307390837
Total Pages : 290 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (73 download)

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Book Synopsis Making Our Democracy Work by : Stephen Breyer

Download or read book Making Our Democracy Work written by Stephen Breyer and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2011-09-13 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Charged with the responsibility of interpreting the Constitution, the Supreme Court has the awesome power to strike down laws enacted by our elected representatives. Why does the public accept the Court’s decisions as legitimate and follow them, even when those decisions are highly unpopular? What must the Court do to maintain the public’s faith? How can it help make our democracy work? In this groundbreaking book, Justice Stephen Breyer tackles these questions and more, offering an original approach to interpreting the Constitution that judges, lawyers, and scholars will look to for many years to come.

The Rise of Modern Judicial Review

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Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1461645468
Total Pages : 463 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (616 download)

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Book Synopsis The Rise of Modern Judicial Review by : Christopher Wolfe

Download or read book The Rise of Modern Judicial Review written by Christopher Wolfe and published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. This book was released on 1994-03-29 with total page 463 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This major history of judicial review, revised to include the Rehnquist court, shows how modern courts have used their power to create new "rights with fateful political consequences." Originally published by Basic Books.

The Workplace Constitution from the New Deal to the New Right

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Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1316061191
Total Pages : 429 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (16 download)

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Book Synopsis The Workplace Constitution from the New Deal to the New Right by : Sophia Z. Lee

Download or read book The Workplace Constitution from the New Deal to the New Right written by Sophia Z. Lee and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2014-10-31 with total page 429 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Today, most Americans lack constitutional rights on the job. Instead of enjoying free speech or privacy, they can be fired for almost any reason or no reason at all. This book uses history to explain why. It takes readers back to the 1930s and 1940s when advocates across the political spectrum - labor leaders, civil rights advocates and conservatives opposed to government regulation - set out to enshrine constitutional rights in the workplace. The book tells their interlocking stories of fighting for constitutional protections for American workers, recovers their surprising successes, explains their ultimate failure, and helps readers assess this outcome.

The Path of Constitutional Law

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Author :
Publisher : Vandeplas Pub
ISBN 13 : 9781600420207
Total Pages : 198 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (22 download)

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Book Synopsis The Path of Constitutional Law by : Charles D. Kelso

Download or read book The Path of Constitutional Law written by Charles D. Kelso and published by Vandeplas Pub. This book was released on 2007 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: FULL E-TREATISE AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING (McGeorge faculty and students only) IN THE INFORMATION COMMONS (IC-03).

The Living Constitution

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Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199703698
Total Pages : 171 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (997 download)

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Book Synopsis The Living Constitution by : David A. Strauss

Download or read book The Living Constitution written by David A. Strauss and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2010-05-19 with total page 171 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia once remarked that the theory of an evolving, "living" Constitution effectively "rendered the Constitution useless." He wanted a "dead Constitution," he joked, arguing it must be interpreted as the framers originally understood it. In The Living Constitution, leading constitutional scholar David Strauss forcefully argues against the claims of Scalia, Clarence Thomas, Robert Bork, and other "originalists," explaining in clear, jargon-free English how the Constitution can sensibly evolve, without falling into the anything-goes flexibility caricatured by opponents. The living Constitution is not an out-of-touch liberal theory, Strauss further shows, but a mainstream tradition of American jurisprudence--a common-law approach to the Constitution, rooted in the written document but also based on precedent. Each generation has contributed precedents that guide and confine judicial rulings, yet allow us to meet the demands of today, not force us to follow the commands of the long-dead Founders. Strauss explores how judicial decisions adapted the Constitution's text (and contradicted original intent) to produce some of our most profound accomplishments: the end of racial segregation, the expansion of women's rights, and the freedom of speech. By contrast, originalism suffers from fatal flaws: the impossibility of truly divining original intent, the difficulty of adapting eighteenth-century understandings to the modern world, and the pointlessness of chaining ourselves to decisions made centuries ago. David Strauss is one of our leading authorities on Constitutional law--one with practical knowledge as well, having served as Assistant Solicitor General of the United States and argued eighteen cases before the United States Supreme Court. Now he offers a profound new understanding of how the Constitution can remain vital to life in the twenty-first century.

Constitutional Construction

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Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 0674045157
Total Pages : 315 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (74 download)

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Book Synopsis Constitutional Construction by : Keith E. Whittington

Download or read book Constitutional Construction written by Keith E. Whittington and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2009-06-01 with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book argues that the Constitution has a dual nature. The first aspect, on which legal scholars have focused, is the degree to which the Constitution acts as a binding set of rules that can be neutrally interpreted and externally enforced by the courts against government actors. This is the process of constitutional interpretation. But according to Keith Whittington, the Constitution also permeates politics itself, to guide and constrain political actors in the very process of making public policy. In so doing, it is also dependent on political actors, both to formulate authoritative constitutional requirements and to enforce those fundamental settlements in the future. Whittington characterizes this process, by which constitutional meaning is shaped within politics at the same time that politics is shaped by the Constitution, as one of construction as opposed to interpretation. Whittington goes on to argue that ambiguities in the constitutional text and changes in the political situation push political actors to construct their own constitutional understanding. The construction of constitutional meaning is a necessary part of the political process and a regular part of our nation's history, how a democracy lives with a written constitution. The Constitution both binds and empowers government officials. Whittington develops his argument through intensive analysis of four important cases: the impeachments of Justice Samuel Chase and President Andrew Johnson, the nullification crisis, and reforms of presidential-congressional relations during the Nixon presidency.

America's Constitution

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Publisher : Random House
ISBN 13 : 1588364879
Total Pages : 672 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (883 download)

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Book Synopsis America's Constitution by : Akhil Reed Amar

Download or read book America's Constitution written by Akhil Reed Amar and published by Random House. This book was released on 2012-02-29 with total page 672 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In America’s Constitution, one of this era’s most accomplished constitutional law scholars, Akhil Reed Amar, gives the first comprehensive account of one of the world’s great political texts. Incisive, entertaining, and occasionally controversial, this “biography” of America’s framing document explains not only what the Constitution says but also why the Constitution says it. We all know this much: the Constitution is neither immutable nor perfect. Amar shows us how the story of this one relatively compact document reflects the story of America more generally. (For example, much of the Constitution, including the glorious-sounding “We the People,” was lifted from existing American legal texts, including early state constitutions.) In short, the Constitution was as much a product of its environment as it was a product of its individual creators’ inspired genius. Despite the Constitution’s flaws, its role in guiding our republic has been nothing short of amazing. Skillfully placing the document in the context of late-eighteenth-century American politics, America’s Constitution explains, for instance, whether there is anything in the Constitution that is unamendable; the reason America adopted an electoral college; why a president must be at least thirty-five years old; and why–for now, at least–only those citizens who were born under the American flag can become president. From his unique perspective, Amar also gives us unconventional wisdom about the Constitution and its significance throughout the nation’s history. For one thing, we see that the Constitution has been far more democratic than is conventionally understood. Even though the document was drafted by white landholders, a remarkably large number of citizens (by the standards of 1787) were allowed to vote up or down on it, and the document’s later amendments eventually extended the vote to virtually all Americans. We also learn that the Founders’ Constitution was far more slavocratic than many would acknowledge: the “three fifths” clause gave the South extra political clout for every slave it owned or acquired. As a result, slaveholding Virginians held the presidency all but four of the Republic’s first thirty-six years, and proslavery forces eventually came to dominate much of the federal government prior to Lincoln’s election. Ambitious, even-handed, eminently accessible, and often surprising, America’s Constitution is an indispensable work, bound to become a standard reference for any student of history and all citizens of the United States.

We the People

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Author :
Publisher : Picador
ISBN 13 : 1250166004
Total Pages : 319 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (51 download)

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Book Synopsis We the People by : Erwin Chemerinsky

Download or read book We the People written by Erwin Chemerinsky and published by Picador. This book was released on 2018-11-13 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This work will become the defining text on progressive constitutionalism — a parallel to Thomas Picketty’s contribution but for all who care deeply about constitutional law. Beautifully written and powerfully argued, this is a masterpiece." --Lawrence Lessig, Harvard Law School, and author of Free Culture Worried about what a super conservative majority on the Supreme Court means for the future of civil liberties? From gun control to reproductive health, a conservative court will reshape the lives of all Americans for decades to come. The time to develop and defend a progressive vision of the U.S. Constitution that protects the rights of all people is now. University of California Berkeley Dean and respected legal scholar Erwin Chemerinsky expertly exposes how conservatives are using the Constitution to advance their own agenda that favors business over consumers and employees, and government power over individual rights. But exposure is not enough. Progressives have spent too much of the last forty-five years trying to preserve the legacy of the Warren Court’s most important rulings and reacting to the Republican-dominated Supreme Courts by criticizing their erosion of rights—but have not yet developed a progressive vision for the Constitution itself. Yet, if we just look to the promise of the Preamble—liberty and justice for all—and take seriously its vision, a progressive reading of the Constitution can lead us forward as we continue our fight ensuring democratic rule, effective government, justice, liberty, and equality. Includes the Complete Constitution and Amendments of the United States of America

Building the Constitution

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Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1107124093
Total Pages : 415 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (71 download)

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Book Synopsis Building the Constitution by : James Fowkes

Download or read book Building the Constitution written by James Fowkes and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2016-12-15 with total page 415 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A revisionary account of the South African Constitutional Court, its working method and the neglected political underpinnings of its success.

Living Originalism

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Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 0674063031
Total Pages : 481 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (74 download)

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Book Synopsis Living Originalism by : Jack M. Balkin

Download or read book Living Originalism written by Jack M. Balkin and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2011-11-29 with total page 481 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Originalism and living constitutionalism, so often understood to be diametrically opposing views of our nation’s founding document, are not in conflict—they are compatible. So argues Jack Balkin, one of the leading constitutional scholars of our time, in this long-awaited book. Step by step, Balkin gracefully outlines a constitutional theory that demonstrates why modern conceptions of civil rights and civil liberties, and the modern state’s protection of national security, health, safety, and the environment, are fully consistent with the Constitution’s original meaning. And he shows how both liberals and conservatives, working through political parties and social movements, play important roles in the ongoing project of constitutional construction. By making firm rules but also deliberately incorporating flexible standards and abstract principles, the Constitution’s authors constructed a framework for politics on which later generations could build. Americans have taken up this task, producing institutions and doctrines that flesh out the Constitution’s text and principles. Balkin’s analysis offers a way past the angry polemics of our era, a deepened understanding of the Constitution that is at once originalist and living constitutionalist, and a vision that allows all Americans to reclaim the Constitution as their own.

Active Liberty

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Author :
Publisher : Vintage
ISBN 13 : 0307424618
Total Pages : 176 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (74 download)

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Book Synopsis Active Liberty by : Stephen Breyer

Download or read book Active Liberty written by Stephen Breyer and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2007-12-18 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A brilliant new approach to the Constitution and courts of the United States by Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer.For Justice Breyer, the Constitution’s primary role is to preserve and encourage what he calls “active liberty”: citizen participation in shaping government and its laws. As this book argues, promoting active liberty requires judicial modesty and deference to Congress; it also means recognizing the changing needs and demands of the populace. Indeed, the Constitution’s lasting brilliance is that its principles may be adapted to cope with unanticipated situations, and Breyer makes a powerful case against treating it as a static guide intended for a world that is dead and gone. Using contemporary examples from federalism to privacy to affirmative action, this is a vital contribution to the ongoing debate over the role and power of our courts.