Over the last forty years both modern constitutional scholarship and Supreme Court constitutional doctrine have concentrated on the analysis of rights, while issues of constitutional law related to the structure of government have been largely ignored. The irony of this interpretive emphasis is that the Constitution itself contains relatively little dealing with rights. Rather, it is primarily a blueprint for the establishment of a complex form of federal-democratic structure. This work is the only scholarly attempt to emphasize the central role served by the structural portions of the Constitution. Redish argues that these structural values were designed to provide the foundation in which our rights-based system may flourish, and that judicial abandonment of these structural values threatens the very basis of American political theory.

"This is a wise book, full of compelling arguments and intereesting legal history. It could provide a good foundation for many appellate briefs addressing public policy issues."--The Appellate Practice Journal "Redish's language is technical, but his writing is solid and bracing....Highly recommended for students of constitutional law at all levels."--Choice "...Redish develops a thoughtful and thorough critique... Redish has produced a surprisingly satisfying textual analysis of the structural provisions of the Constitution. The satisfaction is surprising because his approach is so unfashionably traditional."--The Annals of the American Academy "This is a wise book, full of compelling arguments and intereesting legal history. It could provide a good foundation for many appellate briefs addressing public policy issues."--The Appellate Practice Journal "Redish's language is technical, but his writing is solid and bracing....Highly recommended for students of constitutional law at all levels."--Choice "...Redish develops a thoughtful and thorough critique... Redish has produced a surprisingly satisfying textual analysis of the structural provisions of the Constitution. The satisfaction is surprising because his approach is so unfashionably traditional."--The Annals of the American Academy