Monday, June 6, 2011

Green reviews Kasper on Madison's Bill of Rights and the Supreme Court's Interpretation

Via H-Law, we have a review of Eric T. Kasper, To Secure the Liberty of the People: James Madison's Bill of Rights and the Supreme Court's Interpretation (Northern Illinois University Press, 2010).

Reviewer Michael Green offers the following summary:
Eric T. Kasper is a scholar, lawyer, and judge who has tried to parse what Madison said and how others have interpreted him.  The result, To Secure the Liberty of the People, is an unusual and useful book.  Kasper combines political theory--both where Madison got his thought and what he thought--with scorekeeping and analysis on how Supreme Court justices have used and abused Madison.  The combination sometimes seems askew because the book seems to try to do too much.  But it works, and it is worthwhile reading for those interested in legal history, philosophy, and the founding generation--and, indeed, getting right with Madison.
The full review is available here.