Description: Chief Justice John Marshall argued that a constitution 'requires that only its great outlines should be marked [and] its important objects designated.' This work argues that to preserve the meaning & authority of the document it must be shaped by evolving precedent, historical experience, practical consequence & societal change.
Review Quotes: "Keeping Faith with the Constitution is a splendid addition to the growing body of serious writing on the elusive art of constitutional interpretation. While meticulously referenced for judges and academics to use, it is easily understood and thought-provoking for laypeople concerned about the meaning of our Constitution and the accountability of our judicial system. It sets out a sensible and appealing way of judging our judges."--Judge Patricia Wald, former Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
"We have a Constitution that is more than 220 years old but still meaningful in our lives today. This extraordinary reality is explained with rare insight in Keeping Faith with the Constitution. It depends, the authors rightly say, on judges being faithful to the principles of the Constitution while applying it to meet ever different problems. The book is at the same time understandable, sophisticated, and rich in examples."--Anthony Lewis, Former New York Times columnist and Supreme Court correspondent, and author of Gideon's Trumpet and Freedom for the Thought That We Hate: A Biography of the First Amendment"This is a stellar book. It provides historical and contemporary illustrations of evolving rules and enduring principles with equal skill and, perhaps most important, is remarkably accessible to lay readers without sacrificing sophistication. Highly recommended." --Choice"Keeping Faith is a good companion for any inquisitive citizen--even a curious lawyer--who is looking to explore (or re-explore) the crucial framework within which great constitutional decisions are made." --Bo Links, California Lawyer
"Keeping Faith provides a clearly written, succint, and compelling analysis of the historical trajectory of American constitutional interpretation. It develops a panoramic view of jurisprudence that effectively ties together a wide variety of complex cases and decisions into a coherent whole." --Philip Shadd, Queen's University