Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-2012
ISSN
0068-0047
Publisher
Boston University School of Law
Language
en-US
Abstract
I begin with a disclaimer: I am not a constitutional theorist. I haven’t even played one on TV. But according to Professor Jack Balkin’s ambitious new book Living Originalism, that should not stop me from engaging in what he calls “the constitutional project,” in which I, along with others, attempt to interpret – indeed, to redeem – the U.S. constitution.1 Living Originalism pairs two intriguing ideas: a “constitutional project” and “constitutional redemption.” I am excited by the notion of a project, and of a constitutional project in particular. In my work for at least a decade I have used the idea of a “formative project” to refer to the task of preparing persons for democratic and personal self-government.2 I have argued that our constitutional system permits, authorizes, and even calls for such a project, and I have explored the division of labor among families, civil-society institutions, and government for carrying out such a project.
Recommended Citation
Linda C. McClain,
Constitutional and Religious Redemption: Assessing Jack Balkin's Call for a 'Constitutional Project’
,
in
92
Boston University Law Review
1187
(2012).
Available at:
https://scholarship.law.bu.edu/faculty_scholarship/2891
