This essay reviews Howard Gillman, Mark Graber, and Keith Whittington,
American Constitutionalism: Volume I: Structures of
Government (New York: Oxford University Press, 2012), and
Howard Gillman, Mark Graber, and Keith Whittington, American
Constitutionalism: Volume II: Rights and Liberties (New
York: Oxford University Press, 2012). It defends developmental approaches in
the study of US constitutional law. It explains how law has been studied in
political science, illustrating how political development became part of the
story. It outlines how American political development approaches work when
applied to law, noting how studying law transforms these approaches. It
notes the insights produced through the blending of American political
development and constitutional law, explaining how these insights provide
more leverage for understanding the role of courts as democratic
institutions. The essay closes by discussing the promising directions these
approaches suggest, defending their value beyond political science.
