The Constitution Cannot Save Us

“In The Constitution Cannot Save Us, the distinguished constitutional scholar Louis Michael Seidman offers a brilliant critique of our current system of constitutional law and argues that it is time for us to move beyond that system to a new era, especially in the time of Trump, in which the American people rely on democratic means, rather than on an ancient document, to make our most fundamental national decisions.”—Geoffrey R. Stone, Edward H. Levi Distinguished Professor of Law, University of Chicago “Seidman, an admirable and authoritative student of the U.S. Constitution, has given us a compelling corrective to the cult of constitutionalism that permeates the legal academy, significant political circles, and much of civil society. For the sake of the Republic, people need to listen to him.”—Paul D. Stephan, John C. Jefferies, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Law, University of Virginia“The Constitution Cannot Save Us is an urgent, indispensable book, showing with bracing clarity how our reliance on courts and constitutional salvation can heighten the very conflict it promises to settle. Accessible and unsparing, it urges a turn from top-down constitutionalism toward the vital habits of democratic contestation—and the courage to accept that no court can do the work of self-government for us.”

—Laura Weinrib, Fred N. Fishman Professor and Suzanne Young Murray Professor, Harvard Law School, and author of The Taming of Free Speech

Louis Michael Seidman lives in Washington, DC.