Our Unsettled Constitution: A New Defense of Constitutionalism and Judicial Review
Not quite two centuries ago, Chief Justice John Marshall counseled the Supreme Court (and, by implication, the rest of us) to remember that it is a Constitution we are interpreting. Taking the Constitution seriously is no small task, and, as Seidman (law, Georgetown Univ. Law Ctr.) so ably reminds us, constitutional interpretation is more a matter of creativity than discovery. In this fresh, innovative, thoughtful, and thought-provoking examination of the Constitution and its role in American law and politics, he presents a theory of constitutional "unsettlement" that forces us to reexamine what we think of the text of the Constitution, its interpretation and application, and its role in crafting conversation and consent rather than merely concluding or "settling" conflict (such as that over the 2000 presidential election). This insightful book will not command universal agreement, but its core thesis concerning the political ramifications of judicial review must be encountered. It belongs in all libraries, especially those serving scholars and graduate students. Stephen K. Shaw, Northwest Nazarene Univ., Nampa, IDCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.