Member Reviews

It often feels like those on the right wing of American politics use (and abuse) the Constitution as a cudgel to get their way - mainly through narrow and somewhat dishonest readings of intent and the text itself.

In "We the People", Chemerinsky offers a progressive reading and defence of the Constitution. Spurred by Trump's victory in 2016 and what he perceived as potential opportunities for political and Constitutional abuse, the author set out to examine the founding document within the frame of progressive politics and goals.

A valuable book, and one that is also well-written and quite accessible. Definitely recommended.

Was this review helpful?

What To Do Now That The Court Is Lost
A “Progressive” Reading Of The Constitution Doesn’t Provide Many Answers

November 28, 2018

By Michael Giltz

Now that Brett Kavanaugh is officially Justice Kavanaugh, we can expect decades of rulings from the Supreme Court that block a progressive agenda. The rightward tilt of the Court will tempt some to undermine the independence of the judicial branch, or give up on it altogether.

Not so fast, says scholar Erwin Chemerinsky, the dean of UC Berkeley School of Law, honored by National Jurist last year as the most influential person in legal education.

Chemerinsky points out that conservatives faced a similar dilemma for decades themselves. They faced a liberal Court hostile to their agenda. Their response? They built a network for young lawyers, campaigned hard for judicial appointees at every level and developed a new philosophy dubbed “originalism” to cloak the right-wing rulings they longed for with the guise of impartiality.

In We The People, Chemerinsky insists liberals must do the same. Resist the desire to debase the authority of the courts, build up a network a la the right-wing Federalist Society, campaign hard for judges at every level, and most of all develop a progressive reading of the Constitution.

Chemerinsky argues that the key to this intellectual task is the overlooked section known as The Preamble, often quoted but rarely taken seriously. He says that the U.S. Constitution–and the U.S. government as a whole–should be a tool to work towards the goals as stated in the Preamble, to actually “form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity….”

As Chemerinsky is at pains to make clear, he’s far from the first to believe the Preamble is much more than a throat-clearing bit of fancy talk.

All well and good, but Chemerinsky proves no better at taking down conservative thought than at offering up a new progressive philosophy. He slaps aside the infantile argument of “originalism.” But it’s far from a definitive knock out, either because there’s so little to the argument in the first place or because Chemerinsky just can’t bring himself to take it seriously.

In response to this conservative thought, Chemerinsky offers a progressive reading of the Constitution, how that has played out in the past and what it should mean in the future.

His new philosophy entails…well, pretty much the progressive agenda of today. You cannot ensure the “general welfare” if people are worried about getting sick. How can you “establish justice” if some people are homeless? Or “secure the blessings of liberty” if transgender people aren’t free to live unburdened by the prejudices of others? Indeed, but is any of this new?

Chemerinsky’s book simply falls between the cracks. It doesn’t feel scholarly enough to impress the legal community. And it’s too schoolmarm-ish and dry for the general public.

Ultimately, the message I took away from this passionate if thin book was not the need for any grand new philosophy to refute the paper tiger of “originalism.” It’s the essential need for your side to win the Presidency and win control of the Senate again and again and again. And then put Justices on the Court who share your principles.

(Picador, November 13, 2018)

Was this review helpful?

Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, frames his argument for a progressive interpretation of the US Constitution based on the tenets outlined in the simple preamble:

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

Using examples of cases decided by the Supreme Court throughout our nation's history, with thoughtful commentary on those decisions, and contrasting the progressive interpretation with the conservative "Originalist" interpretation, Chemerinsky lays out a compelling case for his viewpoint and for the Constitutional support of many progressive-led initiatives. I learned a TON from reading this book, and even if you disagree with the arguments, I highly recommend reading it just for a better understanding of Constitutional law.

Was this review helpful?