Universal rights and the constitution / Stephen A. Simon ; production by Ryan Morris ; marketing by Fran Keneston.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Simon, Stephen A., 1966- author.

Contributor:

Morris, Ryan, production manager.

Keneston, Fran, distributor.

Series:

SUNY series in American constitutionalism.

SUNY series in American Constitutionalism

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Constitutional law--United States.

Constitutional law.

International and municipal law--United States.

International and municipal law.

Natural law--United States.

Natural law.

Human rights--United States.

Human rights.

Law--United States--Foreign influences.

Law.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (198 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Albany, New York : State University of New York Press, 2014.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Are constitutional rights based exclusively in uniquely American considerations, or are they based at least in part on principles that transcend the boundaries of any particular country, such as the requirements of freedom or dignity? By viewing constitutional law through the prism of this fundamental question, Universal Rights and the Constitution exposes an overlooked difficulty with opinions rendered by the Supreme Court, namely, an inherent ambiguity about the kinds of arguments that count in constitutional interpretation, which weakens the foundations of our most cherished rights.Rejecting current debates over constitutional interpretation as flawed, Stephen A. Simon offers an innovative framework designed to provide clearer foundations for rights interpretations while preserving a meaningful but limited role for universal arguments. He reveals the vital connections among contemporary debates over such matters as the right to privacy, the constitutionality of the death penalty, and the role of foreign law in constitutional interpretation.

Contents:

""Contents""; ""Acknowledgments""; ""1 Introduction""; ""Natural law and universal arguments""; ""Rights interpretation and universality: An overview""; ""2 Universal arguments in american constitutionalism""; ""Universal arguments in political discourse""; ""Roots of universal arguments in american constitutionalism""; ""Universal arguments and the judiciary""; ""3 Universal arguments in constitutional law""; ""Universal arguments and economic due process""; ""Confusion in the use of universal arguments""; ""Foreign law in constitutional interpretation""

""The eighth amendment and the debate over universal arguments""""How the court�s jurisprudence undermines rights""; ""4 Universal arguments in constitutional theory""; ""Fixed exclusivism""; ""Evolutionary exclusivism""; ""Constitutional aspirationalism""; ""Universalistic theories of interpretation""; ""Framers� natural law""; ""5 A role for universal arguments""; ""The Persistent puzzle""; ""Primary reliance on particular arguments""; ""The limited role of universal arguments""; ""Addressing objections""; ""6 Conclusion: universal rights discourse""

""A place for universal rights discourse""""Conclusion""; ""Notes""; ""References""; ""Index""

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781438451879

1438451873

OCLC:

877887514