America's Unwritten Constitution

From a preeminent constitutional scholar, a “highly engaging and thought-provoking” (Wall Street Journal) exploration of the unwritten rules that inform the American Constitution 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. As esteemed legal scholar Akhil Reed Amar explains, the solution to many constitutional puzzles—like the separation of powers or the rule of law—lies not only within the written document, but in the vast trove of values, precedents, and practices that complement and complete the terse text. In America’s Unwritten Constitution, Amar takes readers on a tour of our nation’s unwritten Constitution, showing how America’s foundational document cannot be understood in textual isolation. An authoritative work by one of America’s preeminent legal scholars, America’s Unwritten Constitution presents a bold new vision of the American constitutional system, showing how the complementary relationship between the Constitution’s written and unwritten components is one of America’s greatest and most enduring strengths.