Amending America's Unwritten Constitution

Hardback

Main Details

Title Amending America's Unwritten Constitution
Authors and Contributors      Edited by Richard Albert
Edited by Ryan C. Williams
Edited by Yaniv Roznai
SeriesComparative Constitutional Law and Policy
Physical Properties
Format:Hardback
Pages:250
Dimensions(mm): Height 235,Width 159
ISBN/Barcode 9781009246835
ClassificationsDewey:342.7303
Audience
General
Illustrations Worked examples or Exercises

Publishing Details

Publisher Cambridge University Press
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publication Date 20 October 2022
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

It is well known that the US Constitution has been amended twenty-seven times since its creation in 1787, but that number does not reflect the true extent of constitutional change in America. Although the Constitution is globally recognized as a written text, it consists also of unwritten rules and principles that are just as important, such as precedents, customs, traditions, norms, presuppositions, and more. These, too, have been amended, but how does that process work? In this book, leading scholars of law, history, philosophy, and political science consider the many theoretical, conceptual, and practical dimensions of what it means to amend America's 'unwritten Constitution': how to change the rules, who may legitimately do it, why leaders may find it politically expedient to enact written instead of unwritten amendments, and whether anything is lost by changing the constitution without a codified constitutional amendment.

Author Biography

Richard Albert is the William Stamps Farish Professor in Law, Professor of Government, and Director of Constitutional Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Ryan C. Williams is a Associate Professor of Law at Boston College Law School. Yaniv Roznai is an Associate Professor at the Harry Radzyner Law School, Reichman University (IDC Herzliya).