reTHINK Federalism: Our Upside-Down Constitution

Michael Greve, a professor at George Mason University School of Law, will discuss his 2012 book, "The Upside-Down Constitution." Free pocket-size U.S. Constitutions will be distributed to audience members.
When Jan 17, 2013
from 06:00 PM to 07:00 PM
Where Chao Auditorium, Ekstrom Library, University of Louisville
Contact Name
Contact Phone 502-852-8811
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In his 2012 book, "The Upside-Down Constitution" (Harvard University Press), author Michael Greve argues that the Constitution's vision of federalism in which local, state and federal government compete to satisfy individual preferences has given way a to a cooperative, cartelized federalism that enables interest groups to leverage power at level for their own benefit.

In his free and public Aug. 27 McConnell Center lecture, Greve will trace this inversion from the Founders' vision of the Constitution through today, illustrating how federalism's transformation was a response to states' demands–not an imposition on them. Lastly, he will address the current national fiscal crisis and call for a fundamental renegotiation of a new federalism grounded in constitutional principles.

The event is part of the McConnell Center's 2012-2013 "reTHINK" free and public lecture series.

Praise for the Book

"Political events and extraordinary scholars have made this a golden age of argument about the Constitution. One of those scholars, Michael Greve, argues that promoting federalism—in the conventional sense of states' rights or the Tenth Amendment—may promote a greater quantity and poorer quality of government. This may seem counterintuitive, particularly to conservatives, but not to those who remember why various states' policies convinced James Madison that the Articles of Confederation had to be replaced by the Constitution."
– George F. Will, Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist and former McConnell Center speaker (April 9, 2001)

About the Lecturer

Michael S. Greve is a professor at George Mason University School of Law. He is also a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. He holds a PhD and MA in government from Cornell University and completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Hamburg. His specializations include constitutional law, courts and business regulation. Greve's publications include nine books and numerous scholarly articles, editorials and book reviews. Additionally, Greve has provided congressional and state legislative testimony, has lobbied and consulted in federal agency proceedings and has provided litigation services and management in over 30 cases, including matters before the U.S. Supreme Court.

About the McConnell Center

The McConnell Center offers this Civic Education Program to the public free of charge. The non-profit, non-partisan program was established to assist Kentucky citizens develop a better understanding of the American Constitution and American history and encourage open and free discussion of perennial concerns that inform contemporary politics.