Democracy, as stated on the first page of our constitution, is based on the basic premise that political sovereignty ultimately belongs to the people of the nation. Independence should not be considered as an aim in itself, but rather as a means for obtaining this objective. If accountability is not taken seriously, we may see a dangerous partnership between dishonest politicians and judges that will bring democracy to an end. The unique character of the position needs autonomous treatment...

A brilliant new approach to the Constitution and courts of the United States by Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer.For Justice Breyer, the Constitution’s primary role is to preserve and encourage what he calls “active liberty”: citizen participation in shaping government and its laws. As this book argues, promoting active liberty requires judicial modesty and deference to Congress; it also means recognizing the changing needs and demands of the populace. Indeed, the Constitution’s lastin...

Unlike many other countries, the United States has few constitutional guarantees of social welfare rights such as income, housing, or healthcare. In part this is because many Americans believe that the courts cannot possibly enforce such guarantees. However, recent innovations in constitutional design in other countries suggest that such rights can be judicially enforced--not by increasing the power of the courts but by decreasing it. In Weak Courts, Strong Rights, Mark Tushnet us...

**A top conservative scholar reveals the Constitution’s remarkable power to repair our broken civic culture, rescue our malfunctioning politics, and unify a fractious America“Salient and timely.” —Wall Street Journal**Common ground is hard to find in today’s politics. In a society teeming with clashing political perspectives, many people have grown frustrated under a system of government that constantly demands compromise. More and more on both the right and the le...

The Indian Constitution is one of the world's longest and most important political texts. Its birth, over six decades ago, signalled the arrival of the first major post-colonial constitution and the world's largest and arguably most daring democratic experiment. Apart from greater domestic focus on the Constitution and the institutional role of the Supreme Court within India's democratic framework, recent years have also witnessed enormous comparative interest in India's constitutional exp...

Our personal space is dear to us all. We live our lives in full public view on social media - posting photos of the food we just ate or even expressing intimate feelings for our loved ones - but there are still things we would rather not share with the world. Indeed, it is privacy that sets man apart from the animals who must stick together in the wild for their own safety. But mankind was not born private. Our primitive ancestors too lived in large groups, every member of which knew all t...

In Why the Constitution Matters Justice D.Y. Chandrachud delves into the profound significance of the Constitution in shaping the nation’s identity and governance. This insightful book offers readers a nuanced understanding of the Constitution’s role in protecting fundamental rights, ensuring justice and maintaining the rule of law. The author brings to the forefront his experience of nearly twenty-five years as a judge, making complex constitutional principles accessible to both ...

This book provides an overview of the content and functioning of the Indian Constitution, with an emphasis on the broader socio-political context. It focuses on the overarching principles and the main institutions of constitutional governance that the world's longest written constitution inaugurated in 1950. The nine chapters of the book deal with specific aspects of the Indian constitutional tradition as it has evolved across seven decades of India's existence as an independent nation. Be...

As things stand, a commitment to weak democracy and strong constitutionalism ensures that a range of elite groups, actors, and institutions – political, economic, intellectual, and legal – hold considerable sway over constitutional matters, leaving less room for the participation of ordinary people. With the continued primacy of liberal constitutionalism, constitutional law has come to represent and facilitate the centrality of judicial power and authority. In Democracy and Constitutio...

**Landmark cases address the origins of judicial review, racial discrimination, civil rights and liberties, The 14th amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and federal government regulatory powers. A recommended classroom resource.A Penguin Classic**With the Penguin Liberty series by Penguin Classics, we look to the U.S. Constitution’s text and values, as well as to American history and some of the country’s most important thinkers, to disc...

America in Perspective argues, without hesitation, that America’s best days are ahead if only we can continue to embrace the ideas and values that got us here in the first place. When faced with challenges and conflict, our system of government allows us to self-correct and self-heal, and world history shows that this approach is uniquely American. Today, essential American values are being discredited, such as the American Dream and our meritocratic spirit. America in Perspec...

One of the biggest failures of the Indian state since it gave itself a new Constitution in 1950 has been its inability to deliver fair and timely justice to its citizens. Tareekh Pe Justice: Reforms for India’s District Courts conducts a deep dive into the dysfunction plaguing the district judiciary. These courts are the only layer of the judiciary that operate in every district of the country. Of the three tiers of the Indian justice system, the district courts hear the largest n...