Kelsen on Democracy

This is a review essay of The Cambridge Handbook of Constitutional Theory, and because this volume has 60 chapters and 1200 pages, it is necessarily selective. The review essay has concentrated on “The State”, “Sovereignty”, “Constitutional Power” and “The Rule of Law.” It has also focused on some of the anti-constitutional and anti-state essays. These include “Emergency Powers”, “Civil Disobedience”, and “Constitutional Hardball.” Other readers might find Part 1 on “Values” to be of interest, while others may be drawn to Part IV on “Challenges for Constitutional Democracy.” While some readers may consider chapters on “Well-Being”, “Regional Integration”, and “Climate Change” to be outside the scope of a collection on constitutional theory, all of the chapters in The Cambridge Handbook of Constitutional Theory are well worth reading for anyone who is interested in constitutional theory as well as the history and application of constitutional powers. This also includes those readers who may be more concerned with the manifold challenges that constitutions face today and into tomorrow.