The Unitary Executive: Presidential Power from Washington to Bush

Description

This book is the first to undertake a detailed historical and legal examination of presidential power and the theory of the unitary executive. This theory—that the Constitution gives the president the power to remove and control all policy-making subordinates in the executive branch—has been the subject of heated debate since the Reagan years. To determine whether the Constitution creates a strongly unitary executive, Steven G. Calabresi and Christopher S. Yoo look at the actual practice of all forty-three presidential administrations, from George Washington to George W. Bush. They argue that all presidents have been committed proponents of the theory of the unitary executive, and they explore the meaning and implications of this finding. Contents Acknowledgments Part I. An Introduction to the Debate over the Unitary Executive Part II. The Unitary Executive During the Early Years of the Republic, 1787–1837 Part III. The Unitary Executive During the Jacksonian Period, 1837–1861 Part IV. The Unitary Executive During the Civil War, 1861–1869 Part V. The Unitary Executive During the Gilded Age, 1869–1889 Part VI. The Unitary Executive During the Rise of the Administrative State, 1889–1945 Part VII. The Unitary Executive During the Modern Era, 1945–2007 Part VIII. Conclusion Notes Bibliographic Note Index