Constitutional Ambiguity and the Interpretation of Presidential Power

Richard W. Waterman (Autor)

Buch | Softcover

324 Seiten

2025
State University of New York Press (Verlag)
9798855801194 (ISBN)

Artikel merken

Examines the role of constitutional ambiguity across the entire spectrum of American history and how it impacts our interpretation of presidential power.

While the rise of autocratic presidential powers has been widely noted by scholars in recent years, with calls by some for a stronger or more accountable presidency, Constitutional Ambiguity and the Interpretation of Presidential Power is among the first entirely dedicated to a study of the impact of this ambiguity on how scholars, judges, and presidents have understood executive power. Embarking on a detailed examination of legal, historical, and political science literature across the broad scope of American history, Richard W. Waterman examines the concerns of the Constitution's Framers regarding the fear of monarchy and a tyrannical president. He then discusses the writing and ratification of the Constitution and by drawing on insights from the time of the Framers to the present day, he provides a unique historical timeline related to the discussion and analysis of constitutional ambiguity. Over the course of several chapters, he finds that no sole theory defines presidential power, and ambiguity rules the day, allowing presidents to find power in the Constitution's silences as well as its various nooks and crannies, which has led to the very real danger of an autocratic presidency.

Richard W. Waterman is Professor of Political Science at the University of Kentucky. He is the coauthor, with Kirk A. Randazzo, of Checking the Courts: Law, Ideology, and Contingent Discretion, also published by SUNY Press.

Introduction

1. Constitutional Ambiguity and Presidential Power

2. Writing a New Constitution

3. Constitutional Ambiguity

4. Obstacles to the Interpretation of the Constitution in Early America

5. The Sovereign Power and Constitutional Interpretation

6. A Strict Interpretation of the Constitution

7. A Living Constitution

8. The Unitary Executive Theory

9. The Constitution and the Supreme Practical Test

Notes
References
Index

Erscheinungsdatum	17.07.2025
Reihe/Serie	SUNY series in American Constitutionalism
Verlagsort	Albany, NY
Sprache	englisch
Maße	152 x 229 mm
Gewicht	454 g
Themenwelt	Recht / Steuern ► EU / Internationales Recht
	Recht / Steuern ► Öffentliches Recht
	Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung ► Staat / Verwaltung
ISBN-13	9798855801194 / 9798855801194
Zustand	Neuware