Congress's Constitution: Legislative Authority and the Separation of Powers

Chafetz, Josh

ISBN 10: 0300248334 / ISBN 13: 9780300248333

Published by Yale University Press, 2019

About this Item

Nice clean copy. Light scuffs on cover.

Seller Inventory # ABE-1778716995302

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Congress's Constitution: Legislative Authority and the Separation of Powers
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication Date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0300248334
• ISBN 13: 9780300248333
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: Very Good
• Dimensions: 6.5W x 9H x 1.25D inches 6.5 inches width by 9 inches height by 1.25 inches depth
• Weight: 1.4 pounds

About this title

Synopsis

A leading scholar of Congress and the Constitution analyzes Congress’s surprisingly potent set of tools in the system of checks and balances.

Congress is widely supposed to be the least effective branch of the federal government. But as Josh Chafetz shows in this boldly original analysis, Congress in fact has numerous powerful tools at its disposal in its conflicts with the other branches. These tools include the power of the purse, the contempt power, freedom of speech and debate, and more. Drawing extensively on the historical development of Anglo-American legislatures from the seventeenth century to the present, Chafetz concludes that these tools are all means by which Congress and its members battle for public support. When Congress uses them to engage successfully with the public, it increases its power vis-à-vis the other branches; when it does not, it loses power. This groundbreaking take on the separation of powers will be of interest to both legal scholars and political scientists.

About the Author

Josh Chafetz is professor of law at Cornell Law School. His work has appeared in top scholarly journals and in national publications, including the New York Times and the Washington Post.