Taking the Constitution Away from the Courts
Tushnet, a professor of constitutional law at Georgetown and the author of several books on the subject, discusses new avenues of contemporary legal thought on the U.S. Constitution and judicial supremacy. Arguing that "constitutional theory must make sense of how people deal with the Constitution away from the courts if it is to provide an accurate account of our constitutional practice," he interprets the Constitution in light of Declaration of Independence principles: "a thin Constitution" to arrive at a "populist Constitutional law." Tushnet rejects a theory of judicial supremacy and looks at alternative means for legislators and executives to make judgments within a constitutional context. His ideas will challenge and inform academics, lawyers, and college students interested in the foundations of the American political system. This bold analysis for 21st-century constitutional interpretation is highly recommended.ASteven Puro, St. Louis Univ.Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.