Overview
Vital perspectives for the divided Trump era on what the Constitution's framers intended when they defined the extent-and limits-of presidential powerOne of the most vexing questions for the framers of the Constitution was how to create a vigorous and independent executive without making him king. In today's divided public square, presidential power has never been more contested. The President Who Would Not Be King cuts through the partisan rancor to reveal what the Constitution really tells us about the powers of the president.Michael McConnell provides a comprehensive account of the drafting of presidential powers. Because the framers met behind closed doors and left no records of their deliberations, close attention must be given to their successive drafts. McConnell shows how the framers worked from a mental list of the powers of the British monarch, and consciously decided which powers to strip from the presidency to avoid tyranny. He examines each of these powers in turn, explaining how they were understood at the time of the founding, and goes on to provide a framework for evaluating separation of powers claims, distinguishing between powers that are subject to congressional control and those in which the president has full discretion.Based on the Tanner Lectures at Princeton University, The President Who Would Not Be King restores the original vision of the framers, showing how the Constitution restrains the excesses of an imperial presidency while empowering the executive to govern effectively.
Full Product Details
Author: Michael W. McConnell ,
Stephen Macedo
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Imprint: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 9780691234199
ISBN 10: 0691234191
Pages: 440
Publication Date: 15 February 2022
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Tertiary & Higher Education
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Manufactured on demand
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.
Reviews
Winner of the Thomas M. Cooley Book Prize, Georgetown Center for the Constitution Finalist for the George Washington Prize, Washington College, the Gilder Lehrman Institute, and George Washington's Mount Vernon
Finalist for the George Washington Prize, Washington College, the Gilder Lehrman Institute, and George Washington's Mount Vernon
Author Information
Michael W. McConnell is the Richard and Frances Mallery Professor and director of the Constitutional Law Center at Stanford Law School and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. His books include Scalia's Constitution: Essays on Law and Education and Religion and the Constitution.
