The American Constitution has a dual nature. The first aspect is the degree to which it acts as a binding set of rules that can be neutrally interpreted and enforced by the courts. But according to Whittington, the Constitution also permeates politics itself, to guide and constrain political actors ...

The American Constitution has a dual nature. The first aspect is the degree to which it acts as a binding set of rules that can be neutrally interpreted and enforced by the courts. But according to Whittington, the Constitution also permeates politics itself, to guide and constrain political actors in the very process of making public policy.