Governmental Powers

Governmental Powers: Cases and Readings in Constitutional Law and American Democracy, written by prominent scholar and professor of constitutional law and political theory, Corey Brettschneider, explores the division, enumeration, and roles of the governmental powers established under the U.S. Constitution and the controversies arising from that system in the context of a changing American society. Like its parent volume, Constitutional Law and American Democracy, this text offers a wealth of highly focused case excerpts and interdisciplinary readings dealing with today s most salient debates. These carefully selected readings and cases focus on high-interest topics, including the nature and justification of judicial review, federalism, and separation of powers, and work together to create a nuanced view of key political and constitutional issues. Grounded in precedent, constitutional theory, and history, this bold work explores urgent issues of current debate and controversy making Governmental Powers fun to read and to teach. The clear, well-reasoned writing frequently challenges and always engages. A dynamic book drawing on a wealth of sources, Governmental Powers: Cases and Readings in Constitutional Law and American Democracy, features: An organization linking the history of the Constitution, constitutional law, and the structure of the federal government to contemporary issues and controversies A wealth of primary sources, including case excerpts, concurring and dissenting opinions, law journal and interdisciplinary articles, and published letters A new chapter on the nature and implications of the Supreme Court s 2012 decision regarding the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act A focused selection of cases conveying a nuanced perspective on the Constitution and the political and constitutional disputes that have shaped its meaning Exposure to legal argumentation through astutely selected and edited readings from noted scholars and theorists Coverage spanning the history and development of constitutional law up to the present day, with ample background for considering the big-picture questions of constitutional doctrine and the Supreme Court s role A stimulating balance of foundational and cutting-edge topical coverage that doesn t sidestep provocative or controversial subject matter Overviews in each chapter introducing the constitutional arguments, chapter readings, and cases Discussion questions promoting comprehension, analysis, and classroom discourse Teachers of constitutional law have long awaited a text like this. Brettschneider blends the most important pertinent statements of political and legal theory with skillful excerpts from the major constitutional cases on governmental powers, civil rights, and civil liberties. Brettschneider s insightful commentaries make the text all the richer. Rogers M. Smith, Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science, University of Pennsylvania

Powers of Freedom, first published in 1999, offers a compelling approach to the analysis of political power which extends Foucault's hypotheses on governmentality in challenging ways. Nikolas Rose sets out the key characteristics of this approach to political power and analyses the government of conduct. He analyses the role of expertise, the politics of numbers, technologies of economic management and the political uses of space. He illuminates the relation of this approach to contemporary theories of 'risk society' and 'the sociology of governance'. He argues that freedom is not the opposite of government but one of its key inventions and most significant resources. He also seeks some rapprochement between analyses of government and the concerns of critical sociology, cultural studies and Marxism, to establish a basis for the critique of power and its exercise. The book will be of interest to students and scholars in political theory, sociology, social policy and cultural studies.

Bondy, William. Separation of Governmental Powers in History, in Theory, and in the Constitutions. New York: Columbia College, 1896. Reprinted 1999 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. vi,[7]-185, [1] pp. LCCN 98-44994. ISBN 1-886363-65-X. Cloth. $65. * Examines theories relating to the powers of the court and the legislature and the separation and balance of the two. Originally published as v.5, no. 2 in Columbia's series, Studies in history, economics and public law.

The separation of powers is an idea with ancient origins, but nowadays it is largely relegated to legal doctrine, public philosophy, or the history of ideas. Yet the concept is often evoked in debates on the 'war' on terrorism, the use of emergency powers, or constitutional reform. Strong Constitutions boldly places the separation of powers on a social scientific footing, arguing that it emerged with the spread of literacy, became central to constitutional thought after the Gutenberg revolution, and faces unprecedented challenges in our current era of electronic communication. Constitutional states use texts to coordinate collective action, and they do so by creating governmental agencies with specific jurisdiction and competence over distinct types of power. Among them are the power to make decisions backed by legally sanctioned coercion; the deliberative power to make procedurally legitimate laws; and the judicial power to interpret and apply laws in particular circumstances. The division of government into three such branches enables state officials and citizens to use written texts-legal codes and documents, including constitutions-along with unwritten rules and conventions to coordinate their activities on larger scales and over longer time horizons. Cameron argues that constitutional states are not weaker because their powers are separated. They are generally stronger because they solve collective action problems rooted in speech and communication. The book is a must read for anyone interested in the separation of powers, its origin, evolution, and consequences.

Excerpt from The Separation of Governmental Powers: In History, in Theory, and in the Constitutions The tripartite division of the powers of government escaped further serious notice until John Locke in his treatise on Civil Government declared that in every state there were three pow ers, the legislative, executive and federative. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

What are checks and balances? They are limits that keep different parts of government from having too much power. But just what are these limits? And how do they help our government run more smoothly? Read this book to find out.