“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward
justice.”
We the People: A Progressive Reading of the Constitution for the Twenty-First Century opens
with this popular quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Chemerinsky’s plea
to “develop and defend and fight for a progressive vision” of the Constitution.
Chemerinsky describes the conservative vision of the
Constitution as:
· strongly pro-law enforcement, favoring the
government and police over the constitutional rights of criminal defendants
· powerfully pro-business, favoring the interests
of corporations over those of employees and consumers
· a vision regarding race discrimination as a
thing of the past and opposing race-conscious actions to remedy the legacy of
discrimination and achieve diversity
· a vision rejecting the notion of separation of
church and state
· a vision strongly opposing constitutional
protection of reproductive freedom for women and approving any and all
restrictions on abortion rights
But what, precisely, is the “alternative progressive vision
for the Constitution” that Chemerinsky presents? You’ll have to read on to find
out…
We the People: A Progressive Reading of the Constitution for the Twenty-First Century is now
available on the New Books shelf, next to the reference desk.
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