The constitution of the United States of America : a contextual analysis

This is the second edition of Professor Tushnet's short critical introduction to the history and current meaning of the United States' Constitution. It is organised around wo themes: first, the US Constitution is old, short, and difficult to amend. Second, the Constitution creates a structure of political opportunities that allows political actors, icluding political parties, to pursue the preferred policy goals even to the point of altering the very structure of politics. Deploying these themes to examine the structure f the national government, federalism, judicial review, and individual rights, the book provides basic information about, and deeper insights into, the way he US constitutional system has developed and what it means today.

• Preface to the Second Edition p. v
• Table of Cases p. xi
• Table of Legislation p. xvii
• Introduction p. 1
• 1 An Overview of the History of the Us Constitution p. 9
• From the Revolution to the Bill of Rights p. 9
• The Early National Period p. 17
• The Crisis over Slavery and the Civil War p. 20
• The Late Nineteenth Century and the Growth of the Modern State p. 23
• The New Deal Crisis and the New Constitutional Regime p. 27
• From the Reagan Revolution to the Present p. 34
• Conclusion p. 39
• Further Reading p. 39
• 2 The Constitutional Politics of the Legislative Branch p. 41
• Congress: Its Basic Structure and Roles p. 42
• The American Party System p. 46
• Political Parties and the Written Constitution p. 52
• Conduct of Elections p. 55
• Legislative Districting and Getrymandering p. 58
• Candidate Selection and Getrymandering p. 61
• Campaign Financing p. 63
• Constitutional Politics within Congress p. 67
• Conclusion p. 74
• Further Reading p. 75
• 3 The Constitutional Politics of the Executive Branch p. 77
• The President as Party Leader p. 80
• The President's Role in Legislation p. 89
• The Unitary Executive and the Modern Administrative State p. 94
• The Unitary Executive in Foreign Affairs p. 107
• Conclusion p. 117
• Further Reading p. 118
• 4 The Constitutional Politics of the Judicial Branch p. 121
• Judicial Selection p. 123
• Judicial Review and Judicial Supremacy p. 132
• Political Constraints on the Jurisdiction of the Federal Courts p. 137
• Doctrinal Constraints on the Jurisdiction of the Federal Courts p. 144
• Standing p. 149
• Conclusion p. 153
• Further Reading p. 154
• 5 Federalism and the Reach of National Power p. 155
• State Governments and the US Constitution p. 156
• The Emergence of (Nearly) Plenary National Power p. 159
• The So-Called 'Federalism Revolution' of the 1990s and Beyond p. 165
• Federalism and the Spending Power p. 176
• Conclusion p. 179
• Further Reading p. 182
• 6 The Substance of Individual Rights Under the Constitution p. 183
• The Starting Point p. 186
• Pragmatic and Realist Critiques p. 192
• The New Deal Reconstruction p. 198
• The Emergence of Modern Liberalism: Autonomy and Accommodation p. 204
• Lawyers and Rights Litigation: The Development of Support Structures p. 218
• Political Parties and Social Movements p. 222
• From Congress to the Courts: The Venues for Rights Protection p. 225
• The 'Backlash' Thesis p. 228
• Constitutional Rights in the Twenty-First Century p. 229
• Further Reading p. 231
• 7 The Processes of Constitutional Change p. 233
• Formal Amendments p. 233
• Substance p. 235
• Constitutional Interpretation as a Mechanism of Constitutional Change p. 237
• Interpretive Methods: An Introduction p. 240
• Conclusion p. 264
• Constitutional Moments and Constitutional Change p. 264
• Constitutional Moments p. 265
• Concluding Thoughts p. 270
• Further Reading p. 272
• Index p. 273