Jassi Sikand
Dr. Douglas Dow DATE \@ "M/d/yy" 2/9/14

A Discussion about Framed
A Précis of Framed: America’s 51 Constitutions and the Crisis of Governance

In Framed: America's 51 Constitutions and the Crisis of Governance, Sanford Levinson evaluates the current standing of the Constitution. He sets aside what most people would think of as ‘constitutional law’. He is not interested in discussing topics of major debate, calling them the ‘constitution of conversation,’ but rather, wishes to discuss those topics which have already been, for the most part, settled, aptly called the ‘constitution of settlement.’ Topics such as whether Congress should be a bicameral legislature, or whether judges should be appointed for life, or whether the electorate should be able to vote on constitutional amendments. Topics that are not questions of interpretation, but rather, questions of the wisdom of the structural decisions of the Constitution itself, most of which were made way back during the Philadelphia Convention.
His purpose in doing so is not so much to answer questions, but rather to ask them. He seldom gives his own positions on the questions that he asks - more so, he wishes to open up the public’s mind about such questions. In order to do so, he seldom uses expert jargon, preferring to explain himself as much a common man (or woman) would. His point throughout the entire book is not to chastise the Framers of the Constitution, but to explain how while decision made back in 1789 were sound in logic, they may not fit the needs of today, and as such, may need revision. Indeed, one of the first topics Levinson discusses is how politicians and the electorate alike rarely look at the Constitution as a flawed document, and more as an infallible one, and how that is a mistake. His ultimate goal is certainly ambitious: to create a new constitutional convention to