ABSTRACT

Current controversies over abortion, affirmative action, school prayer, hate speech, and other issues have sparked considerable public debate about how the U.S. Constitution should be interpreted. Such controversies, along with the changing composition of an often deeply divided Supreme Court, have led to a resurgence of interest in theories of constitutional interpretation. This anthology, edited by Susan J. Brison and Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, presents some of the most exciting and influential contemporary work in this area. Written by ten of the country's most prominent legal scholars, the selections represent a wide variety of interpretive approaches, reflecting different political orientations from the far right to the far left. These theorists have drawn on a variety of other disciplines, including literature, economics, history, philosophy, and politics, and have in turn influenced these fields. The selections were chosen for their accessibility, originality, variety, and importance. Together they provide an excellent introduction to constitutional interpretation as well as a valuable collection for experienced scholars in the field.

chapter 2|21 pages

Originalism

chapter 3|31 pages

Common Law Method

chapter 4|17 pages

Pragmatism

chapter 5|21 pages

Law as Integrity

chapter 6|25 pages

Critical Race Theory

chapter 7|22 pages

Feminist Legal Theory

chapter 8|18 pages

Deconstruction

chapter 9|25 pages

Critical Legal Studies

chapter 10|26 pages

Scepticism