Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
One Introduction: Imperfection and Amendability Sanford Levinson	3
Two How Many Times Has the United States Constitution Been Amended? (A) < 26; (B) 26; (C) 27; (D) > 27: Accounting for Constitutional Change Sanford Levinson	13
Three Constitutionalism in the United States: From Theory to Politics Stephen M. Griffin	37
Four Higher Lawmaking Bruce Ackerman	63
Five Popular Sovereignty and Constitutional Amendment Akhil Reed Amar	89
Six The Plain Meaning of Article V David R. Dow	117
Seven Amending the Presuppositions of a Constitution Frederick Schauer	145
Eight Merlin’s Memory: The Past and Future Imperfect of the Once and Future Polity Walter F. Murphy	163
Nine The Case against Implicit Limits on the Constitutional Amending Process John R. Vile	191
Ten The “Original” Thirteenth Amendment and the Limits to Formal Constitutional Change Mark E. Brandon	215
Eleven Toward a Theory of Constitutional Amendment Donald S. Lutz	237
Twelve The Politics of Constitutional Revision in Eastern Europe Stephen Holmes and Cass R. Sunstein	275
Thirteen Midrash: Amendment through the Molding of Meaning Noam J. Zohar	307
Appendix: Amending Provisions of Selected New Constitutions in Eastern Europe	319
Contributors	325
Index	327