America's unwritten constitution : the precedents and principles we live by Cover Image

Book

America's unwritten constitution : the precedents and principles we live by / Akhil Reed Amar.

Summary:

As author and legal scholar Amar (law and political science, Yale U.) points out in his introduction, the 8,000 words of "terse text" in the U.S. Constitution created essentially a framework, a beginning--and certainly not a comprehensive document intended to accommodate the intricacies and changes occurring in an ever-evolving country. As familiar as phrases like "separation of powers," "checks and balances," and "rule of law" may be, they are not included in the Constitution. Amar provides a scholarly and in-depth exploration of what the 'unwritten Constitution' is and how to understand it. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Record details

ISBN: 9780465029570
ISBN: 0465029574
Physical Description: xvi, 615 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm.
Publisher: New York : Basic Books, [2012]
Copyright: ©2012.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

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.