Author: Randy E. Barnett
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691159734
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 448
Book Description
The U.S. Constitution found in school textbooks and under glass in Washington is not the one enforced today by the Supreme Court. In Restoring the Lost Constitution, Randy Barnett argues that since the nation's founding, but especially since the 1930s, the courts have been cutting holes in the original Constitution and its amendments to eliminate the parts that protect liberty from the power of government. From the Commerce Clause, to the Necessary and Proper Clause, to the Ninth and Tenth Amendments, to the Privileges or Immunities Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, the Supreme Court has rendered each of these provisions toothless. In the process, the written Constitution has been lost. Barnett establishes the original meaning of these lost clauses and offers a practical way to restore them to their central role in constraining government: adopting a "presumption of liberty" to give the benefit of the doubt to citizens when laws restrict their rightful exercises of liberty. He also provides a new, realistic and philosophically rigorous theory of constitutional legitimacy that justifies both interpreting the Constitution according to its original meaning and, where that meaning is vague or open-ended, construing it so as to better protect the rights retained by the people. As clearly argued as it is insightful and provocative, Restoring the Lost Constitution forcefully disputes the conventional wisdom, posing a powerful challenge to which others must now respond. This updated edition features an afterword with further reflections on individual popular sovereignty, originalist interpretation, judicial engagement, and the gravitational force that original meaning has exerted on the Supreme Court in several recent cases.
Restoring the Lost Constitution
Author: Randy E. Barnett
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691159734
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 448
Book Description
The U.S. Constitution found in school textbooks and under glass in Washington is not the one enforced today by the Supreme Court. In Restoring the Lost Constitution, Randy Barnett argues that since the nation's founding, but especially since the 1930s, the courts have been cutting holes in the original Constitution and its amendments to eliminate the parts that protect liberty from the power of government. From the Commerce Clause, to the Necessary and Proper Clause, to the Ninth and Tenth Amendments, to the Privileges or Immunities Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, the Supreme Court has rendered each of these provisions toothless. In the process, the written Constitution has been lost. Barnett establishes the original meaning of these lost clauses and offers a practical way to restore them to their central role in constraining government: adopting a "presumption of liberty" to give the benefit of the doubt to citizens when laws restrict their rightful exercises of liberty. He also provides a new, realistic and philosophically rigorous theory of constitutional legitimacy that justifies both interpreting the Constitution according to its original meaning and, where that meaning is vague or open-ended, construing it so as to better protect the rights retained by the people. As clearly argued as it is insightful and provocative, Restoring the Lost Constitution forcefully disputes the conventional wisdom, posing a powerful challenge to which others must now respond. This updated edition features an afterword with further reflections on individual popular sovereignty, originalist interpretation, judicial engagement, and the gravitational force that original meaning has exerted on the Supreme Court in several recent cases.
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691159734
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 448
Book Description
The U.S. Constitution found in school textbooks and under glass in Washington is not the one enforced today by the Supreme Court. In Restoring the Lost Constitution, Randy Barnett argues that since the nation's founding, but especially since the 1930s, the courts have been cutting holes in the original Constitution and its amendments to eliminate the parts that protect liberty from the power of government. From the Commerce Clause, to the Necessary and Proper Clause, to the Ninth and Tenth Amendments, to the Privileges or Immunities Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, the Supreme Court has rendered each of these provisions toothless. In the process, the written Constitution has been lost. Barnett establishes the original meaning of these lost clauses and offers a practical way to restore them to their central role in constraining government: adopting a "presumption of liberty" to give the benefit of the doubt to citizens when laws restrict their rightful exercises of liberty. He also provides a new, realistic and philosophically rigorous theory of constitutional legitimacy that justifies both interpreting the Constitution according to its original meaning and, where that meaning is vague or open-ended, construing it so as to better protect the rights retained by the people. As clearly argued as it is insightful and provocative, Restoring the Lost Constitution forcefully disputes the conventional wisdom, posing a powerful challenge to which others must now respond. This updated edition features an afterword with further reflections on individual popular sovereignty, originalist interpretation, judicial engagement, and the gravitational force that original meaning has exerted on the Supreme Court in several recent cases.
Secular Revelations
Author: Mitchell MELTZER
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674040945
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 205
Book Description
The United States Constitution is a quintessentially political document. Yet, until now, no one has seriously considered the formative influence of this document on American cultural life. In this ambitious book, Mitchell Meltzer demonstrates the extent to which the Constitution is both source and inspiration for America's greatest literary masterworks.
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674040945
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 205
Book Description
The United States Constitution is a quintessentially political document. Yet, until now, no one has seriously considered the formative influence of this document on American cultural life. In this ambitious book, Mitchell Meltzer demonstrates the extent to which the Constitution is both source and inspiration for America's greatest literary masterworks.
Our Lost Constitution
Author: Mike Lee
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 0143108409
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
The still-unfolding story of America’s Constitution is a history of heroes and villains—the flawed visionaries who inspired and crafted liberty’s safeguards, and the shortsighted opportunists who defied them. Those stories are known by few today. In Our Lost Constitution, Senator Mike Lee tells the dramatic, little-known stories behind six of the Constitution’s most indispensible provisions. He shows their rise. He shows their fall. And he makes vividly clear how nearly every abuse of federal power today is rooted in neglect of this Lost Constitution. For example: • The Origination Clause says that all bills to raise taxes must originate in the House of Representatives, but contempt for the clause ensured the passage of Obamacare. • The Fourth Amendment protects us against unreasonable searches and seizures, but the NSA now collects our private data without a warrant. • The Legislative Powers Clause means that only Congress can pass laws, but unelected agencies now produce ninety-nine out of every one hundred pages of legal rules imposed on the American people. Lee’s cast of characters includes a former Ku Klux Klansman, who hijacked the Establishment Clause to strangle Catholic schools; the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, who called the Second Amendment a fraud; and the revered president who began his first of four terms by threating to shatter the balance of power between Congress and the president, and who began his second term by vowing to do the same to the Supreme Court. Fortunately, the Constitution has always had its defenders. Senator Lee tells the story of how Andrew Jackson, noted for his courage in duels and politics, stood firm against the unconstitutional expansion of federal powers. He brings to life Ben Franklin’s genius for compromise at a deeply divided constitutional convention. And he tells how in 2008, a couple of unlikely challengers persuaded the Supreme Court to rediscover the Second Amendment’s right to keep and bear arms. Sections of the Constitution may have been forgotten, but it’s not too late to bring them back—if only we remember why we once demanded them and how we later lost them. Drawing on his experience working in all three branches of government, Senator Lee makes a bold case for resurrecting the Lost Constitution to restore and defend our fundamental liberties.
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 0143108409
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
The still-unfolding story of America’s Constitution is a history of heroes and villains—the flawed visionaries who inspired and crafted liberty’s safeguards, and the shortsighted opportunists who defied them. Those stories are known by few today. In Our Lost Constitution, Senator Mike Lee tells the dramatic, little-known stories behind six of the Constitution’s most indispensible provisions. He shows their rise. He shows their fall. And he makes vividly clear how nearly every abuse of federal power today is rooted in neglect of this Lost Constitution. For example: • The Origination Clause says that all bills to raise taxes must originate in the House of Representatives, but contempt for the clause ensured the passage of Obamacare. • The Fourth Amendment protects us against unreasonable searches and seizures, but the NSA now collects our private data without a warrant. • The Legislative Powers Clause means that only Congress can pass laws, but unelected agencies now produce ninety-nine out of every one hundred pages of legal rules imposed on the American people. Lee’s cast of characters includes a former Ku Klux Klansman, who hijacked the Establishment Clause to strangle Catholic schools; the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, who called the Second Amendment a fraud; and the revered president who began his first of four terms by threating to shatter the balance of power between Congress and the president, and who began his second term by vowing to do the same to the Supreme Court. Fortunately, the Constitution has always had its defenders. Senator Lee tells the story of how Andrew Jackson, noted for his courage in duels and politics, stood firm against the unconstitutional expansion of federal powers. He brings to life Ben Franklin’s genius for compromise at a deeply divided constitutional convention. And he tells how in 2008, a couple of unlikely challengers persuaded the Supreme Court to rediscover the Second Amendment’s right to keep and bear arms. Sections of the Constitution may have been forgotten, but it’s not too late to bring them back—if only we remember why we once demanded them and how we later lost them. Drawing on his experience working in all three branches of government, Senator Lee makes a bold case for resurrecting the Lost Constitution to restore and defend our fundamental liberties.
Novus Ordo Seclorum
Author: Forrest McDonald
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 384
Book Description
'A witty and energetic study of the ideas and passions of the Framers.' - New York Times Book Review'An important, comprehensive statement about the most fundamental period in American history. It deals authoritatively with topics no student of American can afford to ignore.' - Harvey Mansfield, author of the Spirit of Liberalism
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 384
Book Description
'A witty and energetic study of the ideas and passions of the Framers.' - New York Times Book Review'An important, comprehensive statement about the most fundamental period in American history. It deals authoritatively with topics no student of American can afford to ignore.' - Harvey Mansfield, author of the Spirit of Liberalism
The Myth of Coequal Branches
Author: David J. Siemers
Publisher: University of Missouri Press
ISBN: 0826274218
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 245
Book Description
The idea that the three branches of U.S. government are equal in power is taught in classrooms, proclaimed by politicians, and referenced in the media. But, as David Siemers shows, that idea is a myth, neither intended by the Founders nor true in practice. Siemers explains how adherence to this myth normalizes a politics of gridlock, in which the action of any branch can be checked by the reaction of any other. The Founders, however, envisioned a separation of functions rather than a separation of powers. Siemers argues that this view needs to replace our current view, so that the goals set out in the Constitution’s Preamble may be better achieved.
Publisher: University of Missouri Press
ISBN: 0826274218
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 245
Book Description
The idea that the three branches of U.S. government are equal in power is taught in classrooms, proclaimed by politicians, and referenced in the media. But, as David Siemers shows, that idea is a myth, neither intended by the Founders nor true in practice. Siemers explains how adherence to this myth normalizes a politics of gridlock, in which the action of any branch can be checked by the reaction of any other. The Founders, however, envisioned a separation of functions rather than a separation of powers. Siemers argues that this view needs to replace our current view, so that the goals set out in the Constitution’s Preamble may be better achieved.
Crisis of the Two Constitutions
Author: Charles R. Kesler
Publisher: Encounter Books
ISBN: 1641771038
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 372
Book Description
American politics grows embittered because it is increasingly torn between two rival constitutions, two opposed cultures, two contrary ways of life. American conservatives rally around the founders’ Constitution, as amended and as grounded in the natural and divine rights and duties of the Declaration of Independence. American liberals herald their “living Constitution,” a term that implies that the original is dead or superseded, and that the fundamental political imperative is constant change or transformation (as President Obama called it) toward a more and more perfect social democracy ruled by a Woke elite. Crisis of the Two Constitutions details how we got to and what is at stake in our increasingly divided America. It takes controversial stands on matters political and scholarly, describing the political genius of America’s founders and their efforts to shape future generations through a constitutional culture that included immigration, citizenship, and educational policies. Then it turns to the attempted progressive refounding of America, tracing its accelerating radicalism from the New Deal to the 1960s’ New Left to today’s unhappy campus nihilists. Finally, the volume appraises American conservatives’ efforts, so far unavailing despite many famous victories, to revive the founders’ Constitution and moral common sense. From Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump, what have conservatives learned and where should they go from here? Along the way, Charles R. Kesler argues with critics on the left and right, and refutes fashionable doctrines including relativism, multiculturalism, critical race theory, and radical traditionalism, providing in effect a one-volume guide to the increasingly influential Claremont school of conservative thought by one of its most engaged, and engaging, thinkers.
Publisher: Encounter Books
ISBN: 1641771038
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 372
Book Description
American politics grows embittered because it is increasingly torn between two rival constitutions, two opposed cultures, two contrary ways of life. American conservatives rally around the founders’ Constitution, as amended and as grounded in the natural and divine rights and duties of the Declaration of Independence. American liberals herald their “living Constitution,” a term that implies that the original is dead or superseded, and that the fundamental political imperative is constant change or transformation (as President Obama called it) toward a more and more perfect social democracy ruled by a Woke elite. Crisis of the Two Constitutions details how we got to and what is at stake in our increasingly divided America. It takes controversial stands on matters political and scholarly, describing the political genius of America’s founders and their efforts to shape future generations through a constitutional culture that included immigration, citizenship, and educational policies. Then it turns to the attempted progressive refounding of America, tracing its accelerating radicalism from the New Deal to the 1960s’ New Left to today’s unhappy campus nihilists. Finally, the volume appraises American conservatives’ efforts, so far unavailing despite many famous victories, to revive the founders’ Constitution and moral common sense. From Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump, what have conservatives learned and where should they go from here? Along the way, Charles R. Kesler argues with critics on the left and right, and refutes fashionable doctrines including relativism, multiculturalism, critical race theory, and radical traditionalism, providing in effect a one-volume guide to the increasingly influential Claremont school of conservative thought by one of its most engaged, and engaging, thinkers.
An Introduction to the Study of the Law of the Constitution
Author: A.V. Dicey
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 134917968X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 729
Book Description
A starting point for the study of the English Constitution and comparative constitutional law, The Law of the Constitution elucidates the guiding principles of the modern constitution of England: the legislative sovereignty of Parliament, the rule of law, and the binding force of unwritten conventions.
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 134917968X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 729
Book Description
A starting point for the study of the English Constitution and comparative constitutional law, The Law of the Constitution elucidates the guiding principles of the modern constitution of England: the legislative sovereignty of Parliament, the rule of law, and the binding force of unwritten conventions.
Reclaim Liberty
Author: Robert J. Thorpe
Publisher: Robert Thorpe
ISBN: 9780615380445
Category : Liberty
Languages : en
Pages : 250
Book Description
WASHINGTON IS BROKEN! Its out-of-control spending and debts have set new, unimaginable records: - FEDERAL GOVERNMENT: spent over 1/3 of a TRILLION DOLLARS in just 28 days during February 2010 ($9 million per minute) - NATION: pays over $1.1 BILLION per day on the national debt interest payments (3/4 million per minute), over $4 billion per day by 2020 - TAXPAYERS: each owes $1.1 MILLION of the federal government debt (not including $10 TRILLION of new borrowing and debt through 2020) RECLAIM LIBERTY contains common sense solutions for repairing and restoring our Constitutional government and reclaiming our personal liberties and religious freedoms. 15 new citizen / State-sponsored Constitutional amendments and how to ratify them, including: a balanced budget, end to national debt, income tax and congressional reforms, protections for individual and State's rights. Out-of-control federal spending and national debt is exposed; we will soon face a "Greece-like" demise if we don't rein-in Washington. Learn how to reform congressional members and curb ever-growing federal debt, spending, federal salaries and waste. Learn how to choose, elect and support quality candidates and effectively communicate with and influence your representatives. Includes over 600 'day-planner' style entries where the reader can keep track of important information, dates and communications. Resources include 14 recommended books, 6 news-based websites, 20 resource websites and a terrific FREE news gathering organizational tool. Includes the U.S. Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, Constitution of the United States and all the amendments, and a new 2010 version of The Declaration of Independence. Also 50 memorable quotes from our Founding Fathers and describes what our "moral and virtuous" Founders believed and how "political correctness" and our "progressive" governments have strayed from our Founder's visions. LEARN MORE: www.ReclaimLiberty.us
Publisher: Robert Thorpe
ISBN: 9780615380445
Category : Liberty
Languages : en
Pages : 250
Book Description
WASHINGTON IS BROKEN! Its out-of-control spending and debts have set new, unimaginable records: - FEDERAL GOVERNMENT: spent over 1/3 of a TRILLION DOLLARS in just 28 days during February 2010 ($9 million per minute) - NATION: pays over $1.1 BILLION per day on the national debt interest payments (3/4 million per minute), over $4 billion per day by 2020 - TAXPAYERS: each owes $1.1 MILLION of the federal government debt (not including $10 TRILLION of new borrowing and debt through 2020) RECLAIM LIBERTY contains common sense solutions for repairing and restoring our Constitutional government and reclaiming our personal liberties and religious freedoms. 15 new citizen / State-sponsored Constitutional amendments and how to ratify them, including: a balanced budget, end to national debt, income tax and congressional reforms, protections for individual and State's rights. Out-of-control federal spending and national debt is exposed; we will soon face a "Greece-like" demise if we don't rein-in Washington. Learn how to reform congressional members and curb ever-growing federal debt, spending, federal salaries and waste. Learn how to choose, elect and support quality candidates and effectively communicate with and influence your representatives. Includes over 600 'day-planner' style entries where the reader can keep track of important information, dates and communications. Resources include 14 recommended books, 6 news-based websites, 20 resource websites and a terrific FREE news gathering organizational tool. Includes the U.S. Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, Constitution of the United States and all the amendments, and a new 2010 version of The Declaration of Independence. Also 50 memorable quotes from our Founding Fathers and describes what our "moral and virtuous" Founders believed and how "political correctness" and our "progressive" governments have strayed from our Founder's visions. LEARN MORE: www.ReclaimLiberty.us
Classics of American Political and Constitutional Thought
Author: Scott J. Hammond
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780872207875
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 1236
Book Description
From James I's Address Before Parliament (1610) to Joseph R. Biden, Jr.'s Learned Hand Dinner Address Before the American Jewish Committee (2005), this two-volume set offers an unparalleled selection of key texts from the history of American political and constitutional thought.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780872207875
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 1236
Book Description
From James I's Address Before Parliament (1610) to Joseph R. Biden, Jr.'s Learned Hand Dinner Address Before the American Jewish Committee (2005), this two-volume set offers an unparalleled selection of key texts from the history of American political and constitutional thought.
Creating a Constitution
Author: Federica Carugati
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691195633
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 256
Book Description
A comprehensive account of how the Athenian constitution was created and how political and economic goals that were normally associated with Western developed countries were once achieved through different institutional arrangements--with lessons for contemporary constitution-building.ding.
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691195633
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 256
Book Description
A comprehensive account of how the Athenian constitution was created and how political and economic goals that were normally associated with Western developed countries were once achieved through different institutional arrangements--with lessons for contemporary constitution-building.ding.