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N. 5
How to R th Costtto: Sf-Gort  th Jrsprc of Orgs
Keith E. Whittington
T
h agumt that ga mag shud gudsttuta tptat s ay as d as thCsttut ts. B th  stt stu-tsts, b th  juda atvsts, th gasts. I ths ay days,  susy bjtdt th t that th Csttut shud b ad ad th ts ga mag, thugh th pty  dbats v h bst t asta that g-a mag ad hat xaty as qud t bathu t th Csttut  th udg.Th md gasm dbats a dt. Thauthty  th ga mag  th Csttu-t has b uty hagd  bas ays. Tham that th Csttut shud b udstd d-ty—that t s a “vg Csttut” that massmthg dt tday tha t mat h t asadptd,  xamp—s  ts qut d. It s thught that adh t ga mag s  a-tatv amg may, a h that mght b mad that mght t. I gasm s t xaty  thdsv, t at ast has t b ddd.F judgs h sh t xs th p  jud-a v, adh t th ga mag  thCsttut s th y h that s justab. Wmght us th aguag  th Csttut t hpmak ss  ad t xpss u hghst pta d-as ad aspats. W mght b m th -sttuta txt t hp md us  u past ptastuggs  sp us t tak   ata pj-ts. Wh judgs attmpt t st asd th py d-ss  u td pstatvs, h thy amthat th  sttuta judgmts tump ths ths, th thy at st suh ams  mpta dasm uhd  a s sttutaht. Judgs a ttd t spt h asstgthat a a s u ad vd
only
h thy a bak upsuh assts th a psuasv xpaat  hth a vats th mag  th Csttut as tas amd ad atd.By th ga mag  th Csttut, I amg t th mag that th sttuta txtas udstd t hav at th tm t as datdad atd. T adpt gasm ds t ma that judgs must hd a séa t a th spt  JamsMads t ask hm hat as  hs md  Pha-dpha  th summ  1787  h h ud dath th tky sttuta qust that s asd by th as b th ut. It ds ma that judgsshud t   t pu th  pta vausad das t th Csttut. It mas that th -stat tuhst  sttuta a shud b thpupss ad vaus  ths h had th authty t
make
th Csttut—t  ths h a hagdth gvg ud t ad abdg by t.O mptat pt shud b ad ay. Thmmtmt t gasm s t a mmtmt tth patua pats, pas, ad xptats patua ams   th udg gat. Wa bud by th sttuta txt that thy adpt-d ad by th pps mbdd  that txt. Th
Th Htag Fudat’s Fst Pps Ss xps th udamta das  svatsm ad th Ama pta tadt.F m mat a 1-800-544-4843  vst
heritage.org/bookstore.
Nthg tt h s t b stud as ssay tg th vs Th Htag Fudat  as a attmpt t ad  hd th passag  ay b b Cgss.
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htag.g
 
N. 5udstadgs abut th pata mpats ths pps ad th patua appats thatthy xptd t  m thm may b hpu tus as  ty t gu ut hat xaty ths sttu-ta pps , but ths ay appats aay quvat t th sttuta qumtsthmsvs.Th uds ad ay gvmt as h mmbs   s t th udg ga-t may  hav uy mpmtd th pps th Csttut, but  may ass thy dd t.Sm ssus may smpy t hav as at a aydat,  th umstas th hh thy dat mayt hav tstd th mts  u xtt  ths -sttuta pps. Thy may hav s-susymtd thmsvs, adptg ps that dd t tst stth th mts  th ps that thy thughtth gvmt pssssd  th ghts t hh thythught dvduas  ttd. Thy ud as bg abut hat th  pps qud.Th mmbs  th udg gat  asaa as ay  th mts  huma as ad th tmptats  pta p. Thy datdsttuts psy baus thy k that thyad th susss ud d stat mds th pps that thy hd da ad  th u-data agmts that thy had stuk. As sttu-ta tpts,  a qud t as m thpps that thy ad d, t t tak th d th patua appats that shud b mad ths pps. Th task  sttuta tpta-t qus sdm, ag, ad dsmt, butt as qus humty ad dsp. Th patvqust  a athu sttuta tpt s that
would
Mads d  suh a stuat,  vhat
did
Mads d  suh a stuat, but hat dsth pp that Mads ad hs s t tth Csttut qu  suh a stuat. Rt th uds s dspsab t asg suh aqust, but t mas y a statg pt.Ths shud as aut us agast usg ammtmt t gasm th a hstty t th uag  mthds that judgs may mpy t -sv ga pbms. A juspud  gasms ty sstt th tadta dta aay-ss, gagmt th sttuta txt ad stutu,ad attt t sttuta pupss ad vaus.Ogasm ds t sst that judgs sh d-ta aayss  that thy us t da sm th stutu  th Csttut ad th gv-mt that t ats (“utt” thugh ths stu-tua mpats mght b). Ogasm ds sstthat suh tptv ads b gzd as th tsthat thy a. Th vau s  th abty t hp us th pss  dsvg ad appyg th gamag  th Csttut. Thy bm ma tgasm y h th tpt gts that thya m ts, h th mapuat  pdt bms a d  ts,  h a us  agsttuta pupss ads us t g th spays  hh th ga Csttut as dsgdt ahv ths pupss.
WHy ORiGinaliSm?
Th a sva tatd justats  a jus-pud  gasm. Ogasm s mpt  thdsg  a tt sttut. Th adpt  a t-t sttut s justd by th ds t x tapps ad as thm v ths as havg spaght. Th tg  a sttut as th ppt assmb ad,  a mmt  t ad db-at, adpt ths spd pps. Ogasmmaks ss  th at that t as
this
txt ad  ththat as adptd ad atd, ad t has th jud-a quy t dsvg hat as mat by thsh adptd ths txt. A juspud  gasmgzs ad mphaszs that th Csttut s ammuat, a stut, m a authzdagv, th svg pp, ad that th task  thathu tpt s t dsv hat that stutas ad t appy t as th stuat dmads.At hat, a  ths justats a d thxpag th bass  hh judgs a am th au-thty t g th ps mad by td gsa-
 
N. 5ts. Gvmt as  th Utd Stats d txs  ad p by dv ght. Th auth-ty  makg gtmat as that avag tzs axptd t by ms utmaty m th sttu-ta . Gvmt as a hs t makpy th th mtd sp  th pdd gaauthty. Lgsats a td t mak as that atdd t sv th pub gd ad pat thsttuta mts. Th Psdt s td t suth ata tst ad t su that ths as ampmtd tvy. Judgs a t td  thga pups  makg gd py. Judgs a s-td t tpt ad appy th a  th ass adtvss that as b thm.Th am t xs th p  juda v,th am t th authty t g a ths vada, a y b d m th Csttut. ThCsttut ds t,  s may ds, smpy gv judgs th p t vt as. Th p  judav  a patua as s my a  mth juda duty t appy th a—a th a—-ty ad apppaty t th as at had.As Ch Just Jh Masha xpad v ttus ag,  Cgss  t stut th judgsthat a tz b vtd  tas  th tstmy y  tss h th Csttut qust  that a tz b hd may ab  a-ts that  ga h thy  mmttd, th judgs ud hav  h but t gz that thsup a  th Csttut ud hav t gvth as, gadss  th stuts  Cgss.
1
 A juspud  gasm maks btt ss hy Jh Masha as t tha ds ay ata-tv. O judgs dpat m gasm,  thya  g gudd by th ga mag  thCsttut  svg th ass that m bthm, th vy am t th p  juda v bms p t qust.It s asy t gt that th tg  sttutsas a Ama vat. Ca hats ad

 Marbury v. Madison
, 5 U.S. 137, 179 (1803).
amks  gvmt that dd ad m-mmatd th ps  pta bds ad thghts  dvduas  bas atus  th p-ta systm  Btsh Nth Ama p t thAma Rvut. Wth th Rvut, th ms bam s-gvg, ad amg th stats  ths y dpdt mmuts as thdatg   sttuts.Th as v ay sus qust abut hthth Ama stats shud hav tt sttuts.As s as th stats dad th dpd,vutas suh as Jh Adams dad that thpp  th stats “must t th h budgth th  hads, up th badst udat.”Th d t s-susy at  gvmts th mdst  vut, t gz that ths gv-mts  t b mtd gvmts y, ad tspt th at that “th pp  th su  aauthty ad ga  a p” mat that tdsttuta assmbs ud hav t b vdad sttuts datd t pst th   thpp.
2
Fixed PRinCiPleS
Th tg  th Ama sttuts ptst a juspud  gasm  sva ays. Thst t s  th txt  hh thssttuts  tt. Istad  dag upts  a hsty, Ama sttutasmud hav d th xamp  Egad. Th -a hats had spd  tg hat psad bts th kg had gv th a gv-mts ad,  sm stas, hat bts ad pv-gs had b asstd ad gzd. Th Btshsttut ts, hv, sstd  a tadt gvmta pat, ga pta udstad-gs, ad asa tt daats.Th udg gat as auty aa  thd. Jams Ws, a adg mmb  th

 Jh Adams,
The Works of John Adams
, d. Chas FasAdams, v. 3 (Bst: Ltt ad B, 1851), p. 16.
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