A Principled Constitution?: Four Skeptical Views

by Steven D. Smith, Larry Alexander, James Allan

Is the United States Constitution the embodiment of certain principles? The four authors of this book for a variety of reasons, and with somewhat different emphases, believe the answer is no. Those who authored the Constitution no doubt all believed in liberty, equality, and, with caveats, republican self-government values, or if you will, principles. But they had different conceptions of those principles and what those principles entailed for constituting a government. Although the Constitution they created reflected, in some sense, their principles, the Constitution itself was a specific list of do’s and don’ts that its creators hoped would gain the allegiance of the newly independent and sovereign states. And, for somewhat different reasons, the authors of this book believe that was a good thing.

122 pages, Hardcover

Published September 2, 2022

About the author

Professor Steven D Smith is the Warren Distinguished Professor of Law at San Diego University, and is the Co-Executive Director for both the Institute of Law and Religion, and the Institute for Law and Philosophy. He teaches in the area of law and religion, including as visiting professor at the University of Michigan and the University of Virginia.

Areas of Expertise are Constitutional Interpretation, Torts, Jurisprudence and Legal Theory, Law and Religion, Religious Freedom/Separation of Church and State, Federal Courts, Constitutional Law.

www.sandiego.edu/law/about/directory/...