The Impeachments of Donald Trump

Book excerpt: The Impeachments of Donald Trump: An Introduction to Constitutional Interpretation presents an accessible introduction to one of the nation's most searing constitutional confrontations between the President and Congress. The purpose of the book is two-fold: First, it provides a curated record of a constitutional moment of extraordinary importance in the history of modern democracy. As such, it can be used by any instructor wishing to add interest to constitutional law courses in or outside law schools, whether in departments of history, political science, or legal studies. Second, precisely because this event is important in understanding modern democracy, the book is pitched at a wider audience than standard legal texts, and can be used to teach the very basics of legal argument--how lawyers reason about the constitution--to undergraduates as well as first-year law students. Teaching constitutional reasoning can pose great difficulties when students are given ancient 18th-century materials with no apparent relevance to pressing issues in modern memory. Throughout the book, students are asked to consider the basic form of arguments in constitutional law: text, history, past precedent, future precedent, and democratic ethos. This book contributes to the growing literature addressing democratic constitutionalism--constitutional reasoning outside the courts. More importantly, it provides a lively--and exciting--context in which to teach legal reasoning for introductory courses on the Constitution.