Constitutional Conflicts between Congress and the President: Fourth Edition,Revised

ANNOTATION

A book that pinpoints the tension between the Congress and the President as it has worked out in history.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"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

"This book 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

Author Biography: Louis Fisher is Senior Specialist in Separation of Powers at the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress. His books include Presidential War Power, Presidential Spending Power, The Politics of Shared Power, Constitutional Dialogues, and American Constitutional Law. He has twice received the Louis Brownlow Book Award from the National Academy of Public Administration.

SYNOPSIS

Nearly two 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 and updated 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 the beginning of the Bush administration, venturing 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 poers, 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.

New material in this edition:

The line-item veto and rescissions

Paula Jones and presidential immunity

Removal power: Clinton and Travelgate, Bush and the Postal Service

Military operations in Libya, Panama, and Iraq justified as "self-defense"

Presidential actions "authorized" by the U.N. and NATO in Korea, Iraq, Haiti, and Bosnia

Whitewater: presidential attorney-client privilege and the independent counsel

NAFTA, GATT, and "fast-track" trade legislation

Clinton's executive order 12954 and the National Labor Relations Act

The legislative veto and new tests to Chadha

The budget shutdowns of 1995-96

Bush, Iran-Contra, and quid-pro-quos

FROM THE CRITICS

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