The Unitary Executive: Presidential Power from Washington to Bush
Steven G. Calabresi and Christopher S. Yoo
Abstract
This book undertakes a detailed historical and legal examination of presidential power and the theory of the unitary executive. This theory—that the Constitution gives the president the power to remove and control all policy-making subordinates in the executive branch—has been the subject of heated debate since the Reagan years. To determine whether the Constitution creates a strongly unitary executive, the authors look at the actual practice of all forty-three presidential administrations, from George Washington to George W. Bush. They argue that all presidents have been committed proponents ... More
This book undertakes a detailed historical and legal examination of presidential power and the theory of the unitary executive. This theory—that the Constitution gives the president the power to remove and control all policy-making subordinates in the executive branch—has been the subject of heated debate since the Reagan years. To determine whether the Constitution creates a strongly unitary executive, the authors look at the actual practice of all forty-three presidential administrations, from George Washington to George W. Bush. They argue that all presidents have been committed proponents of the theory of the unitary executive, and explore the meaning and implications of this finding.
Keywords:
presidential power,
unitary executive,
Constitution,
policy-making subordinates,
executive branch,
presidential administrations,
George Washington,
George W. Bush
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2008 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780300121261 |
| Published to Yale Scholarship Online: October 2013 |
DOI:10.12987/yale/9780300121261.001.0001 |
Authors
Affiliations are at time of print publication.
Steven G. Calabresi, author
Christopher S. Yoo, author
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