About this item
Despite its venerated place atop American law and politics, our written Constitution does not enumerate all of the rules and rights, principles and procedures that actually govern modern America. The document makes no explicit mention of cherished concepts like the separation of powers and the rule of law. On some issues, the plain meaning of the text misleads. For example, the text seems to say that the vice president presides over his own impeachment trialbut surely this cannot be right. As esteemed legal scholar Akhil Reed Amar explains in Americas Unwritten Constitution, the solution to many constitutional puzzles lies not solely within the written document, but beyond itin the vast trove of values, precedents, and practices that complement and complete the terse text.
About the Author
Akhil Reed Amar is Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University, where he teaches constitutional law at both Yale College and Yale Law School. His work has won awards from both the American Bar Association and the Federalist Society. His books and articles have been favorably cited by Supreme Court justices across the spectrum in over 40 cases--tops in his generation--and he regularly testifies before Congress at the invitation of both Republicans and Democrats. He is Yale's only currently active professor to have won the University's unofficial triple crown--the Sterling Chair for scholarship, the DeVane Medal for teaching, and the Lamar Award for alumni service. He has written widely for popular publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Time, and The Atlantic. He was an informal consultant to the popular TV show, The West Wing, and his work has been showcased on more recent TV shows, including the Colbert Report, Up with Chris Hayes, Tucker Carlson Tonight, Morning Joe, AC360, Your World with Neil Cavuto, 11th Hour with Brian Williams, Fox News @Night with Shannon Bream, Fareed Zakaria GPS, Erin Burnett Outfront, and Constitution USA with Peter Sagal. His most recent book, The Words That Made Us: America's Constitutional Conversation, 1760-1840, tells the epic story of how America became America. It is due out in May, 2021.
