Constitutional Conflicts Between Congress and the President - 6th Edition by Louis Fisher (Paperback)

About the Book

A classic on the separation of powers, this book dissects the crucial constitutional disputes between the executive and legislative branches from the Constitutional Convention to the present day. New material includes military tribunals and NSA eavesdropping, disputes over executive orders, state secrets privilege, and post-9/11 wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Book Synopsis

Over three decades after its initial publication, Louis Fisher's durable classic remains at the head of its class--a book that Congressional Quarterly called "as close to being indispensable as anything published in this field." This newly revised sixth edition emphatically reinforces that sterling reputation.

Fisher dissects the crucial constitutional disputes between the executive and legislative branches of government from the Constitutional Convention through President Clinton's impeachment battles to the recent controversies over President Bush's conduct as commander in chief. He ventures beyond traditional discussions of Supreme Court decisions to examine the day-to-day working relationships between the president and Congress.

By analyzing a mixture of judicial pronouncements, executive acts, and legislative debates, Fisher pinpoints the critical areas of legislative-executive tension: appointment powers, investigatory powers, legislative and executive vetoes, the budgetary process, and war powers. He then examines these areas of tension within a concrete political and historical context.

To scholars, this book offers a comprehensive examination of the institutions and issues of public law. For practitioners, general readers, and students of American government, it demonstrates how constitutional issues shape and define current events.

The new edition covers for the first time:
* Obama's military decisions in Afghanistan and Iraq
* Military operations against Libya in 2011
* Threatened attacks on Syria in 2013
* Efforts to close Guantánamo
* Obama's recess appointments during a pro forma session
* "Fast and Furious" scandal: Holder's contempt and Obama's executive privilege
* The growth of presidential "czars"
* Executive branch secrecy and lack of accountability
* State Secrets Privilege after 9/11
* Distinguishing between "implied" powers (constitutional) and "inherent" powers (not constitutional)
* Pocket vetoes and the growth of "hybrid vetoes"
* New developments in the President's removal power

Review Quotes

"The preeminent treatise on the separation of powers, Fisher's book is constitutional scholarship at its best. . . . Ought to be required reading for the president, for every member of Congress, and for anyone who seeks to understand the subtle complexities of a constitutional arrangement that formally separates legislative from executive powers."--Choice

"Presents a set of issues, themes, questions, and arguments that will continue to be of fundamental interest to constitutional scholars in particular and political scientists in general."--George C. Edwards III, author of Presidential Leadership

"An extremely worthwhile book, adaptable to a variety of courses."--Jeffrey K. Tulis, author of The Rhetorical Presidency