Deschutes Public Library

The oath and the office, a guide to the Constitution for future presidents, Corey Brettschneider

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

index present

non fiction

The oath and the office

bibliography

1021803909

Corey Brettschneider

a guide to the Constitution for future presidents

Can the president launch a nuclear attack without congressional approval? Is it ever a crime to criticize the president? Can states legally resist a presidents executive order? In todays fraught political climate, it often seems as if we must become constitutional law scholars just to understand the news from Washington, let alone make a responsible decision at the polls.The Oath and the Office is the book we need, right now and into the future, whether we are voting for or running to become president of the United States. Constitutional law scholar and political science professor Corey Brettschneider guides us through the Constitution and explains the powersand limitsthat it places on the presidency. From the document itself and from American historys most famous court cases, we learn why certain powers were granted to the presidency, how the Bill of Rights limits those powers, and what zwe the peopley can do to influence the nations highest public officeincluding, if need be, removing the person in it. In these brief yet deeply researched chapters, we meet founding fathers such as James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, as well as key figures from historic cases such as Brown volume Board of Education and Korematsu volume United States.Brettschneider breathes new life into the articles and amendments that we once read about in high school civics class, but that have real impact on our lives today. The Oath and the Office offers a compact, comprehensive tour of the Constitution, and empowers all readers, voters, and future presidents with the knowledge and confidence to read and understand one of our nations most important founding documents

Introduction : the oath -- Article II and the limited presidency -- The bully pulpit -- The power to execute the laws -- The power to hire and fire -- The power to nominate Supreme Court justices -- The commander-in-chief power -- Madison and the creation of the Bill of Rights -- The First Amendment and free speech -- The First Amendment and the freedom of religion -- The Eighth Amendment and the ban on cruel and unusual punishment -- The Fourteenth and Fifth Amendments and the guarantee of equal protection of the laws -- How to stop a president -- The judicial check on a president -- Federalism -- The congressional check and impeachment -- Conclusion