Civitas Symposium: Statesmanship and the American Presidency
Who are our American statesmen, and what can we learn from them?
How should we think about statesmanship and presidential power? As Steven Hayward observes in this symposium, we are uncomfortable with even acknowledging that a category of statesmanship should exist. Statesmanship implies discriminating judgment about character, prudence, magnanimity, and justice. The modern liberal mind can't even, as the kids say. Yet we are also stuck with executive leadership, even in a modern constitutional republic. So, who are our American statesmen, and what can we learn from them?
We can draw from different sources to formulate answers to these questions. How did the Founders of American constitutionalism think about character and executive power? Do the progressives provide better sources of thinking about this issue? How would institutions influence or condition executive decision-making? What about the size of government today and the exercise of presidential power?
To answer these questions and more, we've invited the following contributors:
Joseph Bessette and Gary J. Schmitt “Character and the American Presidency: A View From the Founding"
Steven Hayward “Taming the 21st Century Prince"
Yuval Levin “Big Government Statesmanship"
Constitutionalism
Amicus Brief: Hon. William P. Barr and Hon. Michael B. Mukasey in Support of Petitioners
Former AGs Barr and Mukasey Cite Civitas in a SCOTUS Brief
Rational Judicial Review: Constitutions as Power-sharing Agreements, Secession, and the Problem of Dred Scott
Judicial review and originalism serve as valuable commitment mechanisms to enforce future compliance with a political bargain.
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State Courts Can’t Run Foreign Policy
Suncor is also a golden opportunity for the justices to stop local officials from interfering with an industry critical to foreign and national-security policy.
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Separation of Powers and Our Constitutional Freedoms
'Separation of Powers' contains something of benefit to everyone, from first-year law students to grizzled veterans of the post-New Deal wars.
Justice Alito Is the Jurist America Needed
Mollie Hemingway’s recent book provides just enough information about Alito’s life to satisfy those who would like to know about his upbringing and life before joining the Court, and, more importantly, how that upbringing helped to shape his values and approach to judging.
