"With two centuries of history as his topical backdrop, Fisher leaves no stone unturned as he analyzes everything from the treatment of detainees at Abu Ghraib, to military tribunals and detention, to Bush-era invocations of the state secrets privilege, to contemporary uses of warrantless surveillance, among other things. Ideologies notwithstanding, it is difficult not to be alarmed by Fisher’s comprehensive and documented account of constitutional government gone awry."—Political Science Quarterly
"What this book adds to the literature is extensive historical, political, and legal context, demonstrating ‘the damage done to constitutional values in times of stress’ throughout US history. . . . Criticism of the Bush administration’s post-9/11 policies is carefully contextualized and, therefore, far more powerful without being polemical. . . . This book articulates core American values and demonstrates how these values are threatened."—Choice
"The book’s strength lies in its brisk but thorough recounting of important incidents in U.S. constitutional history, making accessible to today's readers the facts of events some of which have almost been lost to lawyers’ memories."—Law and Politics Book Review
"A well-supported history and analysis, this wide-ranging and informative book is highly recommended."—Library Journal
“Fisher brilliantly illuminates our predicament, explaining how we abandoned cherished principles of law and human dignity, and how we might yet live up to our own ideals.—Steven Aftergood, Project on Government Secrecy, Federation of American Scientists
"Demonstrates in chilling detail how American law and the courts have failed repeatedly to protect our liberties. . . . A treasure house of information and an invaluable guide for scholars, students, and citizens.”—Aziz Huq, coauthor of Unchecked and Unbalanced: Presidential Power in a Time of Terror
“A comprehensive, striking, and disturbing analysis of executive misuse of power that is made all the more compelling by placing it in a rich and fascinating historical context.”—William G. Weaver, coauthor of Presidential Secrecy and the Law
Fisher (Constitutional Conflicts Between Congress and the President) analyzes the crisis in U.S. civil liberties created by presidential decisions since 9/11 and connects them to a broad legal and historical analysis of presidential authority going back to the Whiskey Rebellion and the Alien and Sedition Acts in the 1790s. His concern: internal damage to U.S. constitutional values and to our system of checks and balances in times of crisis or perceived crisis. Fisher gives special attention to governmental limitations placed on the civil liberties of the vulnerable, that is, "undesirable," groups, e.g., the Japanese during World War II. He makes his goal clear: "By reviewing the periods where America falls short of its...standards, my hope is to rededicate the commitment to values that enrich us and benefit the world community." Fisher finds that Presidents, especially the current President and the executive domestic limitations his administration has imposed, have historically created a greater threat to U.S. citizens' civil liberties than have perceived potential external threats. To maintain democratic values, Fisher believes that individuals and public officials must critically question executive actions. A well-supported history and analysis, especially for public libraries, this wide-ranging and informative book is highly recommended.
—Steven Puro
