AALS Open Source Program

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Session Type: AALS Open Source Programs

Session Capacity: N/A

Location: Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel

Room: Delaware A

Floor: Lobby Level

In Constitutional Amendments: Making, Breaking, and Changing Constitutions (Oxford University Press 2019), Richard Albert shows why the most important part of any constitution is the rules we use to amend it. Reformers amend constitutions to strengthen democracy and improve the lives of citizens, yet they also sometimes exploit the rules of the constitutional amendment process to engage in what Georges Liet-Veaux once called “fraude à la constitution.” Drawing on dozens of constitutions from every region of the globe, Professor Albert presents a sweeping global inquiry into the forms and limits of the constitutional amendment process. He creates a blueprint for improving the rules of constitutional change and a roadmap for navigating the intellectual universe of constitutional amendments. During this session, several scholars who are steeped in the study of constitutionalism will engage in conversation with Professor Albert about the themes raised in his book.