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A scholarly examination of the mechanisms for, history of, and contemporary issues surrounding the constitutional amending process.

Table of Contents

Preface
The Origins and History of the Constitutional Amending Process in America
The Question of Justiciability--Which Branch of Government Should Have the Ultimate Say Over Issues Involving the Amending Process?
The Question of Standards--What Rules Are Most Appropriately Applied to Procedural Issues Surrounding the Amending Process?
The Question of Safety: Are There Adequate Rules and Enforceable Limits on Article V Conventions?
The Question of Exclusivity--Can Any Constitutional Changes Be Adopted Without Using Article V?
The Question of Exclusivity--The Arguments of Akil Reed Amar
The Question of Limitations--Are There Implicit Restraints on the Constitutional Amending Process?
Selected Bibliography
Index

About the Author

JOHN R. VILE is Professor and Chair in the Department of Political Science at Middle Tennessee State University. His many articles have appeared in journals such as The Journal of Law & Politics, The American Journal of Legal History, and The National Law Journal. In addition, he is the author of three books on the U.S. Constitution: Rewriting the United States Constitution (Praeger, 1991), The Constitutional Amending Process in American Political Thought (Praeger, 1992), and A Companion to the United States Constitution and Its Amendments (Praeger, 1993).

Reviews

?This work is also useful for its synthesis and critical review of the writings and theories of various other scholars and their works. Because of its comprehensive bibliography and wide-range synthesis of related writing, this book will be of particular interest to researchers on the amending process, but it can also be enjoyed by anyone interested in the myriad issues surrounding Article V and its provisions. All levels.?-Choice, December 1993

"This work is also useful for its synthesis and critical review of the writings and theories of various other scholars and their works. Because of its comprehensive bibliography and wide-range synthesis of related writing, this book will be of particular interest to researchers on the amending process, but it can also be enjoyed by anyone interested in the myriad issues surrounding Article V and its provisions. All levels."-Choice, December 1993