The Constitution in Wartime: Beyond Alarmism and Complacency(Constitutional Conflicts)

About the Book

Most recent discussion of the United States Constitution and war--both the war on terrorism and the war with Iraq--has been dominated by the alarmism of those who see portents of gross restrictions on American civil liberties in many current policies and the complacency of those who see restrictions on civil liberties as entirely reasonable accommodations to the new realities of national security. Whatever their contributions to the public discussion and policy-making processes, these voices contribute little to the understanding of the real constitutional issues raised by war. Providing the historical and legal context needed to assess competing claims, The Constitution in Wartime identifies and explains the complexities of the important constitutional issues brought to the fore by wartime actions and policies. Twelve prominent legal scholars and political scientists combine broad overviews of U.S. history and contemporary policy with detailed yet accessible analyses of legal issues of pressing concern today. Some of the essays are broad in scope, reflecting on national character, patriotism, and political theory; exploring whether war and republican government are compatible; and considering in what sense we can be said to be in wartime circumstances today. Others are more specific, examining the roles of Congress, the presidency, the courts, and the international legal community. Throughout the collection, balanced, unbiased analysis leads to some surprising conclusions, one of which is that wartime conditions have sometimes increased, rather than curtailed, civil rights and civil liberties. For instance, during the cold war, government officials regarded measures aimed at improving America's image abroad by expanding African Americans' freedom at home as crucial to U.S. struggles against the Soviet Union. Contributors Sotirios Barber Mark Brandon James E. Fleming Mark Graber Samuel Issacharoff David Luban Richard H. Pildes Eric Posner Peter Spiro William Michael Treanor Mark Tushnet Adrian Vermeule

Table of Contents:
Introduction 1
Part I
War and the American Constitutional Order / Mark E. Brandon 11
Emergencies and the Idea of Constitutionalism / Mark Tushnet 39
Accomodating Emergencies / Eric A. Posner and Adrian Vermeule 55
Part II
Counter-Stories: Maintaining and Expanding Civil Liberties in Wartime / Mark A. Graber 95
Defending Korematsu? Reflections on Civil Liberties in Wartime / Mark Tushnet 124
Part III
The War Powers outside the Courts / William Michael Treanor 143
Between Civil Libertarianism and Executive Unilateralism: An Institutional Process Approach to Rights during Wartime / Samuel Issacharoff and Richard H. Pildes 161
Realizing Constitutional and International Norms in the Wake of September 11 / Peter J. Spiro 198
Part IV
The War of Terrorism and the End of Human Rights / David Luban 219
War, Crisis and the Constitution / Sotirios A. Barber and James E. Fleming 232
Afterword: The Supreme Court's 2004 Decisions / Mark Tushnet 249
About the Contributors 255
Index 257

About the Author :

Mark Tushnet is Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Constitutional Law at Georgetown University Law Center. His many books include A Court Divided: The Rehnquist Court and the Future of Constitutional Law, The New Constitutional Order, Slave Law in the American South: State v. Mann in History and Literature, and Taking the Constitution Away from the Courts.

Review :
"The collection of essays in The Constitution in Wartime will enhance the quality and depth of debate that surrounds many of the measures taken by our government in the war on terrorism. Mark Tushnet has written a fine introduction to a superb collection of essays by a top-notch group of scholars." William C. Banks, Syracuse University School of Law "For the most part stimulating, and at the same time disquieting, these essays offer a number of intriguing insights that should lead one to be cautious in drawing generalizations about American constitutionalism in a time of armed conflict... A brief review such as this can not do justice to the ideas and issues considered by all the authors represented in Tushnet's volume. They will engender disagreement from readers, as indeed they do even among the respective authors. This book deserves careful attention."--Jonathan Lurie, Journal of American History "This is an extraordinarily well done and useful collection of essays on a subject of great current relevance... Highly recommended. General readers; upper-division undergraduates and above."--B. Grossman, Choice "Mark Tushnet's groundbreaking collection of essays seeks to push discourse beyond this public shouting match... Each essay is a sober reflection upon its chosen topic, demonstrating a mastery of existing constitutional studies and a deep sense of history that is lacking from 'first generation' scholarship in this field. Yielding surprising conclusions at more than one turn. Professor Tushnet and his contributors succeed in their goal of pushing public discourse away from the shrill rhetoric at the poles of the debate and toward real insights that will shape the formulation of public policy and the post-9/11 constitutional order."--Harvard Law Review "A balanced study that strives for historical accuracy; for academic and public libraries."--Library Journal "Tushnet has assembled a highly regarded group of academics to produce a well-reasoned, well-written, and well-balanced piece of scholarship. The cogent and helpful introduction lays out clearly the purpose and direction of the book--a blessing to the reader (and to the reviewer). What follows is what is promised--honest and detailed yet accessible analyses of legal and constitutional issues of pressing concern today. This is a good read, a book from which the upper-level undergraduate, the teacher, and the informed citizen can benefit. And, no doubt, if more people would read it, our public debate on this topic would improve appreciably."--Richard A. Glenn, Law and Politics Book Review "This anthology presents a compelling cross-section of the second-generation discussion about constitutional law and war powers after 9/11..."--Thomas Cmar , Constellations