Six Amendments: How And Why We Should Change The Constitution (2014) - Plot & Excerpts
Not an earth-shattering book, as many of the proposals are not new, but it's still important to have someone with the author's stature come out and state concrete proposals of how the Constitution should be revised. In particular, I appreciated the discussion about gerrymandering--in mainstream political discourse, I have not heard someone elevate this important issue to the level of a Constitutional edit. Overall, I was hoping for a more colloquial discussion like the one the author provides in the last chapter about the 2nd Amendment, rather than the legalistic type of discussion that bogs down the narrative in the first few chapters. Part of that decision may have been related to audience and who the author was trying to convince, but wading through the legal debates made it hard for a lay reader to parse in places. Probably not ideal for a general audience, but it worked for me. An elaboration and explanation of some of Justice Stevens's dissents in important constitutional cases. The section on sovereign immunity was particularly good, though to my mind the Constitution should also expressly reflect federal sovereign immunity; it's nowhere mentioned now. The history of jurisprudence on campaign finance was also illuminating.
What do You think about Six Amendments: How And Why We Should Change The Constitution (2014)?
Interesting read. I didn't agree with everything but enjoyed the arguments he put forth.
—Artyvr
Very scholarly. Difficult but good read. Stevens writes well and is very thorough.
—Leslie
