IlluminatestheunwrittenideasthatunderlieourdeepestdebatesaboutthewrittenConstitution.ThelateJusticeScaliarelishedpointingtodeparturesfromthewrittentextoftheConstitutionasadeparturefromConstitutionallawitself,butinfacthisownjurisprudencereliedonunwrittenideas.GiventhatScalia’s“textualist“approachtoconstitutionalinterpretationhasbecomeevenmoreprominentinrecentyearswiththeelevationofJusticesGorsuch,Kavanaugh,andBarrett--alljuristsinthemoldofScalia--totheSupremeCourt,itiscrucialthatthepublicunderstandsthatthesetextualistsallrelyonunwrittenideaswhentheyinterprettheConstitution.Indeed,ourmostintensedebatesaboutAmerica’swrittenConstitutionarenotaboutconstitutionaltext,butabouttheunwrittenideasandunderstandingsthatguideourreadingofthetext.InThe(Un)WrittenConstitution,GeorgeThomasmakestheseideasvisiblebyturningtothepracticesofSupremeCourtjusticesandpoliticalactorsininterpretingtheConstitutionovermorethantwocenturies.Fromfoundingdebatesaboutfreedomofspeechandreligiontocontemporaryargumentsaboutjudicialreview,theseparationofpowers,same--sexmarriage,andpartisangerrymandering,hehighlightsthetoo--oftenunacknowledgedideasthatanimateourdebatesaboutthewrittenConstitution.Contrarytotheself-identifiedtextualists,Thomasargues,theserecurrentdebatesarenotaboutwhethertofollowthetext.Rather,theyaredisputesaboutwhatfidelitytothetextrequires.IlluminatinghowmovingbeyondthetextisaninescapablefeatureofinterpretingthewrittenConstitution,thisconciseprimeronconstitutionalinterpretationforcesustoconsiderthetext--andtheunstatedprinciplesthatliebeneathit-inanewlight.
CONSTITUTION INDEED WRITTEN UN
