Table of Contents
Introduction 6
Preamble 13
Part I How Bills Become (Or, More Likely, Don't Become) Law 22
Chapter 1 It Takes Two to Tango / Bicameralism 23
Chapter 2 Big States, Little Say / The Senate 33
Chapter 3 Delete! / Presidential Veto 46
Chapter 4 Majority Rules-Except When It Doesn't / Supermajority Rules 54
Part II Hello, Can You Hear Me? 63
Chapter 5 How to Cherry-pick Voters / Gerrymandering 64
Chapter 6 Taxation without Representation / The District of Columbia 80
Chapter 7 "I'll Just Do It Myself!" "Oh No You Won't" / Direct Democracy 88
Part III If America Threw a Party, Would You Be Let In? 92
Chapter 8 Who Can Vote? How Do You Know? / Voting Rights 93
Chapter 9 Who Gets to Represent You? / Restrictions on Running for Congress 104
Chapter 10 Who Gets a Shot at the Oval Office? / Restrictions on Running for President 112
Chapter 11 Time's Up! / Presidential Term Limits 118
Part IV "Hurrah! I'm 18. Finally I Can Vote for the President." "Not So Fast." 126
Chapter 12 The College with No Courses or Credits / The Electoral College 127
Part V Can the President Really Do That?! 144
Chapter 13 Pardon Me? / Presidential Pardons 145
Chapter 14 "You're Hired! (Maybe.) You're Fired!" / The Unitary Executive 154
Part VI Who's Running America? 163
Chapter 15 Knock Knock. Is Anybody There? / Continuity in Government 164
Chapter 16 Is There a Leader in the Room? / Presidential Succession 176
Chapter 17 The Duck's in Charge. January 20 / Inauguration Day 185
Part VII Emergency! Emergency! 191
Chapter 18 At War / Emergency Powers 192
Chapter 19 At War with Bugs / Habeas Corpus 202
Chapter 20 We Can Change It, Right? / Amending the Constitution 213
Part VIII Keeping Pace with the Times 224
Chapter 21 Grading the Constitution 225
Chapter 22 Now What? 234
Post-Amble
Timeline of Events 241
Acknowledgments 245
Notes 246
Bibliography 257
Articles and Amendments 259
Index 260