Untrodden Ground boldly treads where few have ventured before. With lively prose and a touch of humor, Harold Bruff’s superb book furnishes the reader a tour of 44 Presidents and their constitutional claims. Think of the hefty, 557-page tome as something of a “Top 40” for presidential power geeks, with Bruff playing the role of Casey Kasem. Rather than ballads and jams, we are treated to discussions of the Spot Resolutions, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Tenure of Office Act. The book begins with a quick chapter on the origins of the Presidency and then continues with 14 other chapters and a conclusion. Reagan, Bush, and Obama get their own chapters. But most chapters discuss multiple Presidents, with one or two receiving particular attention. For instance, Lincoln shares space with Buchanan, Clinton with George H.W. Bush.

Citation
Saikrishna Prakash, Executive Order (reviewing Harold H. Bruff, Untrodden Ground: How Presidents Interpret the Constitution) New Rambler (2016).
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