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

Description

In America's Unwritten Constitution, esteemed legal scholar Akhil Reed Amar presents an exploration of the various factors that we consider in the course of interpreting the Constitution, but which are not actually enumerated in the written document-and which have never been thoroughly described until now. With the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, the American people rejected the precedent of the British "Constitution", a set of principles and procedures not based on any one foundational document. Instead, Americans chose to create a single text that would serve as th.;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. 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.