The Madisonian Constitution (The Johns Hopkins Series in Constitutional Thought)
Broadly theorized, confidently written, thoroughly researched, and cogent in its argumentation,The Madisonian Constitutionmay indeed define one approach to American constitutional studies for a generation.(James R. Stoner Jr., Louisiana State University)With remarkable intellectual range and sensitivity, George Thomas presents the Constitution as a creatively conflictual document whose meaning has been shaped by a history of political contestation. Much like the Constitution he has so perceptively examined, this important book invites the reader to develop philosophical coherence from the wisdom of its contradictions.(Gary Jeffrey Jacobsohn, University of Texas at Austin)In this ambitious, densely written and thought provoking work, Thomas proposes a perspective on constitutional interpretation that is at once a normative theory of constitutional practice and a redescription of constitutional history informed by that practice.(Douglas C. DowLaw and Politics Book Review)By departing from traditional perspectives on judicial review, Professor Thomas provides an unconventional, yet refreshing and historically grounded, view of how historical constitutional conflicts have fallen squarely within Madison's vision.(Harvard Law Review)Thomas’s book paves an important new path for the rest of us in our study of the Constitution and its effect on politics. His account of Madison’s principle of constitutional contestation might well be the best account that yet exists of the reigning principle of our founder’s political thought.(Benjamin KleinermanReview of Politics)In The Madisonian Constitution, Thomas charts a philosophically grounded and historically informed course... showing that James Madison and most others responsible for framing the Constitution, as well as major statesmen who followed, had a more prudent approach in mind.(Stanley C. BrubakerLaw and Society Review)The Madisonian Constitutionreminds readers of that moment when, as Justice Story said, the meaning of the fundamental law was something far more important than the mere lawyers' 'extraordinary gloss' it has become.(Gary L. McDowellJournal of American History)Thomas’s Madison points the way to salvation from forms of constitutionalism that either place inordinate power in a small body of elite judges and lawyers, or give up on constitutional government altogether.(Michael P. ZuckertClaremont Review of Books)The Madisonian Constitutionis a valuable addition to the growing body of literature that seeks to provide a holistic view of how constitutional meaning develops.(Gerard N. MaglioccaLaw and History Review)