Living Originalism - Tapa dura

It will rivet anyone who cares about the Constitution...Jack Balkin is one of the most insightful scholars working on constitutional issues today, and Living Originalism is a great read for any originalist who wants to stop and think every few pages. -- Robert VerBruggen Washington Times 20120213 Living Originalism...succeeds in providing an endlessly engaging theory of constitutional law that wrestles with the field's most urgent concerns in a way that accounts for nuance without sacrificing clarity. That is no meager achievement. Balkin's book will likely serve as a focal point for constitutional theorists of various stripes for years to come. The volume's prominence seems assured because it presents in an unusually acute form the fundamental question of whether any variety of originalism can provide what liberals want--and, significantly, what liberals in future generations will want--in a theory of constitutional interpretation. -- Justin Driver New Republic 20120405 American constitutional interpretation generally divides into two rival theories. The first, originalism, contends that the Constitution should be read in light of the intent or original meaning of its framers at the time it was constructed. The second, living constitutionalism, encourages judges to read the document in light of contemporary understandings and society. Both theories are controversial, have partisan adherents, and are deficient, according to Balkin, in that they fail to capture how the Constitution must be read within the context of American democracy and the broader role that not just the courts but also the other branches of government and citizens have in giving meaning to it. Balkin offers a powerful theory that clarifies originalism and living constitutionalism, constructing a theory of living originalism that brings the two together. Balkin articulates a theory about how constitutions have basic meanings that are particularly applied in and over time, showing how text, intent, and meaning can provide both a framework for democracy and a guide for how judges should approach specific issues such as equal protection. -- D. Schultz Choice 20120601

Originalism and living constitutionalism, so often understood to be diametrically opposing views of our nation's founding document, are not in conflict--they are compatible. So argues Jack Balkin, one of the leading constitutional scholars of our time, in this long-awaited book. Step by step, Balkin gracefully outlines a constitutional theory that demonstrates why modern conceptions of civil rights and civil liberties, and the modern state's protection of national security, health, safety, and the environment, are fully consistent with the Constitution's original meaning. And he shows how both liberals and conservatives, working through political parties and social movements, play important roles in the ongoing project of constitutional construction. By making firm rules but also deliberately incorporating flexible standards and abstract principles, the Constitution's authors constructed a framework for politics on which later generations could build. Americans have taken up this task, producing institutions and doctrines that flesh out the Constitution's text and principles. Balkin's analysis offers a way past the angry polemics of our era, a deepened understanding of the Constitution that is at once originalist and living constitutionalist, and a vision that allows all Americans to reclaim the Constitution as their own.