The Meese Revolution

""This book is a warm and grateful tribute to Ed Meese, the “most influential and powerful attorney-general in American history.” Not only was Meese primarily responsible for the creation of “originalism,” the now dominant method of constitutional interpretation in our national jurisprudence, but he was also President Reagan’s de facto counsellor during his administration and a major hidden hand in the developments of subsequent Republican presidencies. The authors reveal what Meese’s extraordinary modesty has kept obscured for all these years. A marvelous achievement!"" —Gordon S. Wood, author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning The Radicalism of the American Revolution ""The Meese Revolution is more than just a biography of an influential figure. It is required reading for anyone from any political persuasion who wants to understand the recent history of the Supreme Court. Told by two insiders, the book explains how a once little-known idea championed by Reagan’s attorney general ended up shaping the law of the land. This is the untold and crucial story of how originalism, the now dominant approach to constitutional interpretation, entered the mainstream."" —Corey Brettschneider, author of The Presidents and the People  ""The most important Attorney General in American history? Read this tour de force and decide for yourself!"" —Akhil Reed Amar, Sterling Professor of Law, Yale University ""In this absorbing biography of a great American citizen and statesman, Steven Calabresi and Gary Lawson have given us a panoramic view of the politics, people, and ideas that transformed American constitutional law in the lat 20th century. The Meese Revolution is a fascinating read!"" —Mary Ann Glendon, Learned Hand Professor of Law Emerita, Harvard University